Chelsea at Aston Villa player ratings: Victory at Villa Park

Chelsea took on Aston Villa away from home hoping to do the double over Steven Gerrard’s side. Coming off the back of two consecutive draws in the league, the Blues were in desperate need of a win to keep themselves within distance of the Premier League leaders. In what was a tightly contested Boxing Day affair, Chelsea ultimately brought home all three points thanks to a pair of Jorginho penalties separated by a goal from Romelu Lukaku.

Here are the player ratings from Aston Villa 1, Chelsea 3:

Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 5/10

Edouard Mendy did not have a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. He was solid with his handling of the ball and he was decent with his distribution. Disappointingly, however, the Senegalese was unable to react fast enough to prevent Matt Targett’s deflected cross from going straight through him. An average rating of five for Mendy on the night.

Trevoh Chalobah (Right centerback): 7/10

Unlucky to be replaced at halftime with Thomas Tuchel looking to add greater attacking impetus to the side, Trevoh Chalobah actually had a really good half of football. Intelligent in his reading of the game, the Englishman made several vital blocks—most notably against Ollie Watkins, who had been played in by Douglas Luiz with a simple ball over the top. Since his introduction into the first team, Chalobah has always been an incredibly solid option and Sunday’s match against Villa was yet another example of the value that the 22-year-old brings to his side.

Thiago Silva (Centreback): 7/10

Calm and unfazed, Thiago Silva was an absolute rock at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. The Brazilian displayed impeccable judgement during numerous dangerous scenarios, preventing Watkins and Danny Ings from getting any joy, despite the sheer number of half-chances they got on the break. With other key components of Chelsea’s defence still locked in various stages of contract negotiations, having Silva around for another year could prove vital in ensuring stability and accountability on and off the pitch moving forward.

Antonio Rudiger (Left centreback): 7/10

While Antonio Rudiger was once again solid at the back, the German made a couple of rather erratic passes throughout the game that often resulted in an unnecessary ceding of possession to the home side. In moments of the game when the Blues were in desperate need to calm things down by simply having the ball, Rudiger’s overambitious passes at times added to the pressure his side experienced. Perhaps a little harsh to criticise a centrehalf for his passing, the 28-year-old was otherwise faultless in performing his due defensive diligence and receives a rating of 7/10.

Andreas Christensen (Centreback): 7/10

Brought on to replace an injured and clearly over-played Silva, Andreas Christensen picked up where the Brazilian left off, playing with a quiet confidence and composure in the heart of Chelsea’s defence. There has been so much talk surrounding the delays involved with his contract negotiations, Christensen’s form has taken a bit of a hit recently. If Sunday’s performance is anything to go by, an enforced period of absence from the team due to COVID-19 has clearly afforded the Dane with much needed space and time to rediscover his form. With so many fixtures coming up thick and fast, Christensen will have an important role to play in the coming weeks.