Chelsea player ratings vs Aston Villa: Mudryk unimpressive, Cucurella poor in 2-0 loss

The dreaded international break is over and the Premier League has returned as Chelsea hosted Aston Villa at Stamford bridge. Prior to the international break, Chelsea drew 2-2 against Everton as Blues’ three game winning streak came to a halt.

Graham Potter lined his troops in a 3-4-3 formation with Marc Cucurella, Mykhailo Mudryk and Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning to the lineup. Potter also hinted at the involvement of N’Golo Kante as the Frenchman played his first minutes since August 2022.

Chelsea’s four game unbeaten run came to an end as CFC lost to Unai Emery’s Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn ensured victory for the visitors as the Blues just weren’t clinical in front of the goal. The Blues had 27 shots on goal but nothing to show for it as not being clinical continued to hurt them. Chelsea now drop in the lower half of the table, sitting 11th with 38 points.

Chelsea player ratings vs Aston Villa

Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6

Kepa could have done very little against Watkins in a 1v1 situation. The Spaniard could have done nothing at all to save the terrific strike from John McGinn. Apart from the two goals, Villa did not conjure up anything threatening in the attack.

Reece James – 6

Reece James started as the right sided centre back in the back three as Loftus-Cheek played in the wing back role. James made an excellent tackle to stop Jacob Ramsey as Villa pushed forward. The Englishman was alert and kept Ramsey in check for most part of the game.

Kalidou Koulibaly – 6

Kalidou Koulibaly was the only centre back in the team and was taking the battle to Watkins. The Senegalese used his body and bullied Jacob Ramsey off the ball as the Englishman surged forward and looked almost clear on goal. Koulibaly continued to marshal the defence and hardly made any major errors.

Marc Cucurella – 5

Marc Cucurella and Koulibaly did not get their communication right as his mistake allowed Ollie Watkins broke forward and put Villa in the lead. Cucurella made five recoveries but it was his mistake that allowed Villa to take the lead. He was taken off in the final 10 minutes as CFC chased two goals

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 5

Loftus-Cheek playing as the right wing back, used his physicality to get forward and push from the right side. He combined with James and Havertz on the right and came off for Kante in the second half.

Enzo Fernandez – 6.5

Enzo Fernandez once again was everywhere in the midfield, winning battles, making perfectly weighted passes and getting into decent positions. The Argentine is now quintessential to the Chelsea side and despite CFC losing the game, Fernandez registered another decent performance.

Mateo Kovacic – 6

Mateo Kovacic got on the end of a loose ball outside the box but skied his effort as Chelsea started brightly. The Croatian surely left his shooting boots at home as he failed to get a shot on target throughout the game.

Ben Chilwell – 7

Playing as the left wing back, seemed to be brought down and was adamant that he was fouled, asking for a penalty. The Englishman struck the outside of the post as he was getting into dangerous positions and testing out John McGinn. Chilwell was probably the brightest Chelsea player, making forward runs and getting into dangerous areas.

Joao Felix – 6

Just after Chelsea conceded the opening goal to Villa, Joao Felix had a powerful shot saved by Martinez. The Portuguese wriggled past the Villa players before slamming a shot and forcing Martinez to make a save. Felix was lively in the second half when CFC pushed for a goal but again he lacked the final finish.

Mykhailo Mudryk – 4

Mykhailo Mudryk couldn’t make the most of the half chance as there was a gaffe between Emi Martinez and Boubacar Kamara that left Villa exposed in front of the goal. Mudryk’s close range effort was saved by Martinez as the Ukrainian showed tremendous speed in the process.

The Ukrainian missed a sitter as he was clear on goal with just Martinez to beat but he took the shot early and his effort was without any sting. The former Shakhtar Donetsk man was underwhelming and not actively involved and was finally taken off for Noni Madueke.

Kai Havertz – 5

Playing as the right sided inside forward, where he has excelled in the last few games. Havertz did interchange positions as Potter once again preferred a fluid and rotating front three. The German had a couple of shots at goal in the first half but he did not hit them hard enough.

Substitutions:

N’Golo Kante – 6

Kante came on for Loftus-Cheek as he made his first appearance since August 2022. The Frenchman had half a chance to strike from a Madueke cut back but he dragged his shot wide.

Noni Madueke – 6

Noni Madueke came on for Mudryk who had a disappointing game. Madueke took the role of the right wing back.

Christian Pulisic – N/A

The USMNT star came on for Cucurella as CFC pushed to find a goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Conor Gallagher – N/A

Conor Gallager replaced Kovacic as Potter looked to add some energy in the midfield.

Will CFC finish in a European spot this season?