Chelsea cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win against a relegation-bound Aston Villa. Here’s how we rated the Blues’ players, including three debutants, at Villa Park.
Thibaut Courtois: 6
Did what was asked of him in terms of shot-stopping, but despite a relatively quiet afternoon he still managed to look unconvincing at times. Punched when he might have caught, fumbled when he should have held – it was almost like he wanted to create more work for himself.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8
Excellent going forward and provided a fine cross for the opening goal, converted by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Defensively he was occasionally given problems by Jordan Ayew but was largely solid and promoted a safety-first attitude, conceding four corners.
Matt Miazga: 8
Given his Chelsea debut after the injuries to John Terry and Gary Cahill and put in an impressive shift, despite being beaten in the air several times early on by Rudy Gestede. Also provided a threat in the Villa box at set-pieces.
Branislav Ivanovic: 7
Skippered the side in the absence of Terry and provided plenty of encouragement to the rookie alongside him.
Baba Rahman: 7
Kept things simple on the ball and defended well enough off it, even if Carles Gil and Alan Hutton were occasionally afforded a little bit too much space on the right. Got a shot away in the first half and went to left-wing when Jake Clarke-Salter came on.
John Mikel Obi: 8
Continues to impress under Guus Hiddink. Provided the stable base from which the forward players were able to wreak the damage, and also started the move that led to the first goal.
Cesc Fabregas: 8
Once again excelled in the quarterback-style role, pinging passes around from deep. He was particularly good at linking up with his compatriot and former Barcelona team-mate Pedro.
Pedro: 9
Two lovely finishes in the second half embossed Chelsea’s victory, and both owed a lot to his sense of timing, which was Lampard-esque at times. He was nominally on the right-hand side but drifted inside to great effect, before being replaced after 75 minutes by Clarke-Salter.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 8
A very bright display capped by his first-ever Premier League goal, although it took a slight deflection to wrongfoot Villa keeper Brad Guzan. Could have had a second after intercepting a loose pass but got over-excited and snatched at his shot somewhat. His passing was good and he utilised his strength well.
Kenedy: 5
Anonymous before being substituted. Barely saw the ball and when he did he struggled to use it.
Loic Remy: 6
Showed some neat touches before suffering the groin injury that might rule him out for the rest of the campaign.
Alexandre Pato: 8
Ironic cheers greeted his long-awaited debut, with Chelsea fans’ tongues firmly in cheek as they chanted “We forgot that you were here!”. But they were immediately wowed by the Brazilian, who in bursts showed his quality. Stuck the penalty away after being flattened by Aly Cissokho and played a part in Pedro’s two goals.
Oscar: 8
Made an instant impact after replacing Kenedy, his feet and brain too quick for the Villa defence as he set up a goal for Pedro 50 seconds after the restart. Had Hutton and Micah Richards gasping for air at times.
Jake Clarke-Salter: 6
Came on at left-back for the final 15 minutes and eased his way into senior football against a battered and bruised Villa. Has obvious talent and potential.
This post was last modified on 03/04/2016