Chelsea needed a solid win after the Arsenal embarrassment. Everyone was under pressure to act, even the manager Liam Rosenior. Rosenior eventually chose to drop the Blues' No.1 Robert Sanchez, a decision that didn’t immediately look right after the Blues went 1-0 down in the second minute of the game.
Chelsea eventually ran out 4-1 winners after taking full advantage of a wide open, end-to-end game. Joao Pedro scored a hattrick and provided an assist. With some great performances and some other average ones, let’s talk about how the team performed individually.
Chelsea player ratings after beating Aston Villa
Filip Jorgensen: 6/10
Jorgensen was OK. It was Rosenior’s call to drop Sanchez, and Chelsea didn’t get punished for it in any serious way. Some fans have justified the call saying that Sanchez was poor against Arsenal. This is about Jorgensen though, and he did well. His distribution was horrendous, however.
Malo Gusto: 7/10
Gusto was fantastic in the final third, even gathering an impressive 0.47 expected assists (xA). The Chelsea fullback provided the assist for Chelsea’s equalizer. He didn’t do much defensively, which is likely because the game was open and the Blues got the better end of the deal.
Wesley Fofana: 5/10
Fofana was poor in his duels, but great almost everywhere else. He even got two shots off. His reading of the game was good, and he was careful with his passing. The first 15 minutes of the game had the Blues under pressure, but Rosenior's men recovered well.
Trevoh Chalobah: 7/10
None of Chelsea’s centerbacks attempted a long pass, which is strange. It’s not a particularly bad thing though, especially with Enzo Fernandez on the pitch. Chalobah was solid, and he made a key tackle.
Jorrel Hato: 6/10
Hato didn’t do anything to jeopardize the game, though he wasn’t great. His distribution was good too. He was strong in his duels, especially for the number he contested. The goal Chelsea conceded developed down his flank, which doesn’t look good on him.
Reece James: 7.5/10
James, for the second game in a row, won all the duels he contested. His distribution and defending were excellent too. His crossing was poor, but he can be forgiven for that considering the nature of crosses. He didn’t do much in the final third though.
Moises Caicedo: 6.5/10
Caicedo’s distribution was even better than Fernandez’s. The Ecuador international only misplaced two passes, while completing all the five long balls he tried. His outing was strange though, because he didn’t contribute much defensively, which is unlike him.
Enzo Fernandez: 7/10
Fernandez was fantastic in the final third. His chance creation was good, and he played a big role in the win. He won most of his ground duels too, where Caicedo didn’t even contest any.
Cole Palmer: 8.5/10
Palmer was clinical. Getting 100% of his shots on target, while also contributing creatively. His goal showed that finishing quality fans now take for granted. The conversation surrounding him has been a case of him being a victim of his own success.
Alejandro Garnacho: 8/10
Chelsea fans don’t give Garnacho enough credit for how effective he is. That comment isn’t just from yesterday’s game. Since his Manchester United days, he has always looked like a player that would trouble defenses. He did just that yesterday, even though he had no goal contributions. The Villa players were sick of the sight of him.
Joao Pedro: 10/10
Pedro was simply unplayable on the night. He contributed to all four Chelsea goals, and walked away with a deserved hattrick. His movement and intelligence meant Villa never knew the right move to make when defending against him. The former Brighton & Hove Albion forward did whatever he wanted with Villa, troubling the centerbacks and strutting his stuff.
Romeo Lavia (75’): 6/10
Lavia got busy as soon as he came in, but could only contribute defensively. He didn’t do much else, which is understandable considering how the game went.
Tosin Adarabioyo (79’): 6/10
Tosin did his part in the few minutes he was on the pitch. He made two clearances when called upon, and made sure the Blues lead stayed intact as the away side gunned for more goals.
Marc Cucurella (79’): 7/10
Cucurella made the most offensive involvement of all the defensive substitutes. He was solid, did what he needed to do, and helped the Blues with buildup.
Andrey Santos (85’): N/A
Santos had nothing to do, and his only contribution was to lose a duel.
Liam Delap (85’): N/A
There’s nothing to be said about Delap’s time on the pitch. With just five minutes of regulation time to go, the former Ipswich striker was brought on to see the game out.
Liam Rosenior: 7/10
The Blues started the game in the worst way possible, but Rosenior’s men didn’t panic. He made the bold call to drop Chelsea’s first choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. While nothing showed that was the right call, it was a call he felt was necessary to achieve the result, and a 4-1 win is as good as it gets against Villa away.