Aston Villa player ratings after shambolic Premier League loss against Chelsea
Another disgraceful performance from Villa destroys their Champions League hopes and this one, too, is on Unai Emery
When an entire fanbase is unified on matters of team selection and the manager disagrees and sticks with what isn’t working, that manager is best advised not to get hammered at home by a direct rival in a huge game.
Aston Villa have thrown away a great position in the fight for Champions League places and are now just three points better off than Chelsea, who picked them apart at Villa Park.
Certain aspects of Unai Emery’s line-up choices for this game were outright unforgiveable and a heavy home defeat was his reward. Make no mistake: this was another appalling display and it’s not because there are some injuries.
For the record, Jarred Gillett is a truly terrible referee and Liam Rosenior makes LinkedIn cringe.
Here are the ratings:
Emiliano Martínez - 5
Stood tall to keep João Pedro out after five minutes. Parried a deflected shot from Cole Palmer after quarter of an hour. Handled the ball nicely and was reliable with his feet but could have done better with Chelsea’s third goal, after which I stopped paying attention to him.
Matty Cash - 3
Early goal meant a primarily defensive shift against Alejandro Garnacho, a tricky assignment with which he dealt relatively well but always looked likely to bear fruit for Chelsea even before Cash took a cheap yellow card. After that, it was a problem. Substituted at half time.
Ezri Konsa - 3
Owed us a big performance.
Tyrone Mings - 3
Hesitated in the middle of the first half to let Chelsea in and started to look uncomfortable as Pedro came into the game to put pressure on him. A difficult night for a player who wasn’t a great fit for the situation.
Ian Maatsen - 3
Dangled a leg in front of Reece James in the box in the early minutes. Not a foul, but a risk. Lacked quality in the final third but made some useful defensive interventions on the left in the first half. Shite in the second, obviously, because they all were.
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Amadou Onana - 3
Onana is crucial in a decimated midfield but not good enough in this game. Wayward pass after half an hour put Villa under pressure unnecessarily and not for the last time.
Douglas Luiz - 4
Flicked in a tremendous finish to open the scoring after just two minutes, concluding a move in which he played a huge role before attacking the box. Grafted in the middle and made some lovely passes, especially in transition. Deteriorated along with everyone else in the second half. Substituted with 30 minutes left.
Leon Bailey - 3
Did what needed to be done to set-up Luiz’s goal for 1-0. Looked a little sharper out of possession initially but got quieter and quieter as the first half progressed. Substituted with half an hour to go.
Emi Buendía - 3
Started as a central 10 and formed a 4-4-2 front line with Ollie Watkins out of possession, pressing from the front rather than moving backwards to get involved in the middle. Occasionally prone to a risky pass including the one that led directly to Chelsea’s third goal. Substituted soon afterwards.
Morgan Rogers - 3
Moved to the left of the three forwards behind Watkins and struggled to get into the game. Blocked James’ shot just before the half-hour. Mixed some neat and incisive passes with some poor ones.
Cut in to shoot late in the first half and might have done better with the effort. Set up a disallowed Watkins goal on the break just before half time but was a waste of space after Chelsea took the lead.
Ollie Watkins - 3
Sharp dummy to allow Luiz to step onto the ball for the opening goal. Hold-up play looked better from the start. Lacked conviction in a one-on-one shot in the middle of the first half but his next effort came from a fabulous run and he forced a good save.
Finished well to take advantage of a four-on-two attack late in the first half but VAR check ruled out the goal to make it 2-1, then wasted yet another great opportunity at 3-1. When you’re off, you’re off. Substituted far too late.
Substitutes
Lamare Bogarde (for Cash, HT) - On at right-back and made a positive start against Garnacho but final ball was not the final ball of a flying full-back. Not sure it was his fault but Chelsea had lots of joy on Villa’s right. 3
Ross Barkley (for Luiz, 63) - Came on in the middle of the second half. 4
Jadon Sancho (for Buendía, 63) - Tried to impact a match that was dead. 4
Alysson (for Bailey, 63) - Unsurprisingly quiet after coming on with Villa beaten but positive in patches in the dregs of the game. 4
Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 72) - Should have started against his old club but the game was gone by the time he had a chance to show it. 4