Chelsea Player Ratings V Aston Villa: One Player Gets 10/10 While Four Others Get 8

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino claimed that the 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup was the team’s “best” performance of the season.

Not many fans will argue with that remark, as the Blues were more than deserving winners on Wednesday evening.

You do have to wonder why they didn’t play to this level against the likes of Liverpool and Wolves but it is, at least, something to build on.

Press the next page as we give player ratings from the match at Villa Park.

Goalkeeper And Defence

Djordje Petrovic – 7/10 – had to make a couple of neat saves after Chelsea went 1-0 up but he could do nothing with Moussa Diaby’s goal that went in off the post.

Malo Gusto – 8/10 – the Frenchman was strong defensively, as well as being a major threat in possession on the right flank. He set up Jackson with a pinpoint cross for Chelsea’s second goal.

Axel Disasi – 7/10 – a consistent performance from the centre-back. He managed to keep Ollie Watkins quiet and he made several blocks, most notably from John McGinn.

Benoit Badiashile – 6/10 – an improvement on recent matches but the 22-year-old still gave the ball away early on which led to a shot from Leon Bailey.

Ben Chilwell – 7/10 – the captain seems to getting his form and fitness back. After two very poor displays against Liverpool and Wolves, he was much better at Villa Park.

Midfield

Moises Caicedo – 8/10 – had a difficult start to the game but he recovered superbly, making a number of tackles as well as passing accurately whilst under pressure.

Enzo Fernandez – 10/10 – a world-class performance from the midfielder. Controlled the game with his passing before topping it off with an outstanding freekick.

There were rumours before the game that the 23-year-old’s agent had been offering him to other clubs, but his display against Villa demonstrates he is fully committed to Chelsea.

Conor Gallagher – 7/10 – got his first goal of the season with an excellent finish. He was also neat and tidy in possession. It is unlikely, though, that this performance will keep him in the team ahead of Christopher Nkunku.

Forwards

Noni Madueke – 8/10 – positive in possession all evening, setting up Cole Palmer for the first chance before passing the ball for Gallagher to score the opener.

An outstanding dribble midway through the first half took him almost the length of the pitch. The raw materials are there for him to become a great player, as long as he continues to improve in the final third.

Cole Palmer – 7/10 – Pochettino continues to select him as a false nine but, barring a couple of shots, he had another quiet evening.

Nicolas Jackson – 8/10 – performed very well from the left flank. The Senegalese international played a key role in Chelsea’s first two goals, with his dribble in the build-up to the opener before scoring the header from Gusto’s cross.

Substitutes

Raheem Sterling – 5/10 – didn’t really have much of an impact after replacing Madueke with 15 minutes to go.

Thiago Silva – 5/10 – the Brazilian was rested by Pochettino but he came on to shore things up in a back three for the final 10 minutes.

Christopher Nkunku – 6/10 – it was a brief cameo but he still had time to make an impression. He trapped the ball superbly from a long ball, before setting up Jackson for a shot.

Alfie Gilchrist – N/A – came on to replace the injured Badiahsile for the final 5 minutes.