Aston Villa fought back to secure a 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday evening, in a boost for our hopes in the race for Champions League qualification.
Enzo Fernandez gave the visitors an early lead after just nine minutes as they took advantage of a poor start from Villa, and despite an improvement in our performance as the first half went on, we went into the half-time interval behind.
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We continued to improve after the break and a brace from Marco Asensio helped us turn the game around in our favour to secure three crucial points as we closed the gap on those above us in the Premier League standings.
With both assists coming from Marcus Rashford, our January recruits continue to make a pivotal impact and this is hopefully another key result to help us build momentum in the final stretch of the campaign.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Chelsea:
Emiliano Martinez, 6 – Left exposed by his defence for the goal, but was otherwise alert to danger when called upon without having to really produce a decisive moment.
Matty Cash, 6 – Delivered the cross which led to our first goal, but it was a rather limited display in both phases as he wasn’t particularly impactful going forward nor did he always look in command defensively.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Will be disappointed with the goal conceded as our marking in the box was poor to leave Fernandez open, but he produced a huge moment in the second half as he cleared off the line practically to keep us in the hunt to secure a win.
Tyrone Mings, 6 – Made some crucial interventions but was at times too ponderous in possession which hurt our ability to play out from the back, before a knee issue started to impact his performance and eventually forced him off.
Ian Maatsen, 6 – Continues to offer an important dynamic going forward on the left flank, but until he improves the defensive side of his game to give us more assurances in that department, he’ll struggle to cement his place in the starting line-up as he lost Neto too easily for Chelsea’s opener.
John McGinn, 8 – We’re asking a lot of our skipper at the minute given our injury issues, but he continues to put in a massive shift game after game. It was his intensity and urgency which helped spark us into life after a passive start to the game as he often does set the tone and standard for the rest of the team.
Youri Tielemans, 8 – Similarly to McGinn, the Belgian midfielder has had to take on a big workload in recent weeks, but week in and week out, he puts in a top-class performance to not only give us tenacity and energy in midfield, but also technical quality and composure in possession. A fundamental presence in the heart of the Villa XI.
Marco Asensio, 8.5 – Wasn’t consistent enough in the first half as despite picking up some good positions, he couldn’t make it count. However, his second-half brace was decisive as he showed excellent movement and awareness to get into goalscoring positions and apply the finishing touch to seal the win for us.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Showed excellent touch at times to get us moving up the pitch with speed, while he offered a threat before he picked up a knock and had to come off. Not at his most influential best, but made an important contribution nonetheless.
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Despite getting into good positions at times to offer a threat on the left side, he wasn’t able to make a big enough impression on the game and ultimately was replaced at half-time.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Had a couple of chances in the first half which he was unable to convert, and although he showed good movement at times to stretch the Chelsea defence and offer a focal point, he couldn’t add a decisive touch in front of goal.
Substitutes:
Marcus Rashford, 8 – Continues to make a really positive impression with his work-rate off the ball and with his ability on it. Provided both assists for Asensio, as he adds a critical dynamic on the left flank with his direct running and ability to take his man on, create openings and find teammates in the box to threaten.
Lamare Bogarde, 7 – Did really well after coming on in a difficult situation. Made some no-nonsense tackles to assert himself and give us a bit more solidity at the back.
Andres Garcia, 7 – Slotted in well to build on his previous performances as he added composure to our build-up play from the back.
Leon Bailey, N/A
Donyell Malen, N/A
