Chelsea strengthened their hold over the fourth place in the Premier League standings following their 2-1 away win over Aston Villa. The Blues were not at their very best and were stunned by Kortney Hause just before the interval.
However, Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud’s goal in quick succession in the second half bailed them out of trouble. Frank Lampard’s side might have secured all three points but a few loopholes, which were evident, have to be worked on.
Here are our Chelsea player ratings from what transpired earlier today at Villa Park.
Kepa Arrizabalaga 6/10
The custodian did well to push away Anwar El Ghazi’s fierce strike from the distance and there was nothing he could have done to deny Hause from scoring. Notably, he was vociferous and commanded the backline with a strong resolve.
Cesar Azpilicueta 8/10
Although he was slightly sluggish and pragmatic in the first half, he came back with a lot of energy after the break. Apart from grabbing two assists, he also won 3 aerial duels and 1 tackle with his tireless performance.
Antonio Rudiger 5/10
The centre-back was far from convincing and was tormented at times by Keinan Davis. He was shaky at times and clearly needs more game time to get his form back.
Andreas Christensen 5/10
Christensen was too slow in his movements and could not really churn a decent partnership with Rudiger. Hause’s goal was too easy for the Villans and Christensen was partly responsible for that.
Marcos Alonso 6/10
The Spanish left-back was never really a threat to Ezri Konsa during his forward forays and on top of that, he was wasteful with his crosses. Nonetheless, he did a decent job at the back in withstanding the pressure from John McGinn and El Ghazi.
Mateo Kovacic 6/10
Kovacic took some time to settle in and despite the fact that he orchestrated some shrewd passes, he flattered to deceive when it came to dictating the tempo of the game. He was rightfully was pulled out of the game early in the second half.
N’Golo Kante 8/10
The midfielder left no blade of grass uncovered as he toiled relentlessly and shielded Christensen and Rudiger commendably. Kante kept Douglas Luiz at bay more often than not and read the game brilliantly.
Mason Mount 8/10
Mount was denied a goal due to a fantastic save by Orjan Nyland in the first half. He was the engine room of Chelsea’s attacking arsenal with his liveliness and linked up with Giroud meticulously.
Willian 5/10
His days at the Stamford Bridge seems like coming to an end and there are no two ways about it. He struggled to terrorize Matt Targett and Tyrone Mings and he was certainly lacking energy during the outing.
Olivier Giroud 7/10
As always, Giroud was outstanding in outclassing his opposition in the air, winning 6 aerial duels during the clash. He might have blown hot and cold up front, but his brilliant finish after an impeccable turn was worthy of admiration.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek 5/10
By no means was it a decent outing for the attacker as he was unable to make his presence felt in the final third, owing to which he was replaced in the second half. He definitely looked rusty and needs to showcase better displays in the coming games.
Substitutes
Ross Barkley 6/10
His introduction brought some stability in Chelsea’s structure and he did manage to pull the strings with relative ease.
Christian Pulisic 7/10
Pulisic found the back of the net just a few minutes after he was brought on, and was a livewire from the moment he touched the pitch.
Tammy Abraham NA
Reece James NA
