Chelsea will be forced to replay the FA Cup fourth-round tie, after an inability to get the win over opponents. Unai Emery's men more than caused damage to the Blues, though not too much. Mauricio Pochettino's men took fewer shots than their visitors and failed to create a clear-cut chance by themselves. Several players didn't play up to standard, but there were some exceptional showings. Here is how the Pride of London rates the Blues performances:
Dorde Petrovic: 9/10
Petrovic came out top whenever he was called upon on the night. His distribution was very good, and he made 5/5 saves to ensure the Blues clean sheet that ultimately keeps the west London side in the tie. Petrovic has been very good this season. He made some truly fantastic saves on the night to ensure his team had a fighting chance
Alife Gilchrist: 6.5/10
Gilchrist was alright, all things considered. His passing was good, and he did enough to contribute to a crucial clean sheet.
Axel Disasi: 7.5/10
Disasi was solid. His positioning was generally very good, though he didn't make many defensive actions. His passing was essential to the buildup and he was OK in his duels.
Thiago Silva::7.5/10
Silva was very good. He made nine defensive actions on the night and was still very much a key contributor to the buildup. He won as many aerial duels as the other members of the four-man backline combined.
Benoit Badiashile: 7.5/10
Badiashile played exactly how you'd expect a centerback to play at left back. His pass selection was much better than Colwill's though, as he didn't make predictable, unnecessary driven balls into the middle of the pitch. His passing was superb once again, and he showed how valuable an aerial threat is, getting a header on target, and contributing to 25% of the Chelsea's shots on target.
Moises Caicedo: 7.5/10
Caicedo was very good. He was influential in and out of possession, which was particularly valuable in the middle of the park. His passing was especially very good, completing all four long balls he attempted.
Enzo Fernandez: 6.5/10
Fernandez didn't light up the world on the night. His passing was good, but he was average out of possession.
Noni Madueke: 6/10
Madueke was generally poor, though he attempted some very good crosses, even though none of them connected. He needs to try more crosses into the box as it's an important skill set for someone playing in his position. He lost the ball way too much for someone who did not create a single chance. His dribbling was OK.
Conor Gallagher: 5/10
The Chelsea de-facto captain was poor in and out of possession. He didn't create much and lost 7/9 duels, according to Sofascore.
Raheem Sterling: 6/10
Sterling tried many things against Aston Villa, but the Villa defenders were often prepared.
Cole Palmer: 8/10
Palmer led the team in many things. He created more chances, completed more dribbles, took more shots, and unfortunately, also missed more big chances than any Chelsea player. He was all action, including defensively. It remains to be seen whether he's a viable center-forward option should Pochettino need to deploy him in that role.
Ben Chilwell (65'): 6/10
Chilwell showed his aerial prowess when he came on, as well as his reading of the game.
Mykhailo Mudryk (77'): 5/10
Mudryk, unsurprisingly, did nothing in the 13 minutes he was on the pitch. This should not be held against him, as Villa dominated the later part of the second half.
Armando Broja (77'): 6/10
Broja didn't have many chances to do anything, but he involved himself in some defensive duels and even made a clearance, which is commendable.
Carney Chukwuemeka (89'): N/A
Chukwuemeka was on the pitch for one minute. There was nothing to do before the final whistle came.
Mauricio Pochettino: 6/10
It's ultimately not a good result, because it means Chelsea now has to fit a replay somewhere into a schedule that they hope to be freed up so that they can make a serious push for top-5 or top-6. The team selection was OK, but the inability to create a single clear cut chance is worrying.