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Aston Villa fought through a resolute 1-1 draw at Chelsea to continue their momentum through Christmas.
Olivier Giroud had his header in the first half disallowed by fit man Anwar El Ghazi, who passed Edouard Mendy at the back stick five minutes after the restart.
Frank Lampard’s team continued to lobby and investigate with the Blues having the luxury of making six changes to their starting XI, not to mention bringing in £ 120 million worth of talent in the second half.
However, it was Dean Smith’s tenacious Villa that kept them at bay, as Villa recorded a well-deserved draw at Stamford Bridge that sees them climb to fifth in the Premier League.
Here’s how we rate Villa’s players after tonight’s close point:
INITIAL TRAINING: 4-2-3-1
EMILIANO MARTINEZ – 7
He claimed some early balls in the box and looked to quickly kick under his hands to free Watkins as Villa looked to counter. I didn’t see Giroud’s crouched header coming as the Frenchman opened the scoring with an arrow effort in the bottom corner. He saved well from Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic in the second half and was immaculate with his hands and on deck.
CASH MATTY – 9 *
Villa’s right-back fighter set up countless blocks, headers and last-minute tackles during the first 45. Cash took a hit after Pulisic volleyed him. The full-back dusted himself off after that, but again and again he couldn’t cope when Pulisic entered, meaning Chilwell was allowed to cross Chelsea’s left side at will, resulting in the first goal. Cash, however, made a perfect delivery to help El Ghazi in 50 minutes when Villa tied. Cash maintained his form during the second half and was excellent as he blocked and cleared everything in his way. What a crafty signing he’s turning out to be.
EZRI KONSA – 8
In his first start since the Wolves after illness. He found Giroud difficult to handle, especially when the forward played with his back to goal. The Frenchman also removed Konsa for his goal after converting Chilwell’s delivery. The returning center-back did very well to clear Pulisic’s header under the crossbar as Villa defended for their lives.
KORTNEY HOME – August
He missed the odd pass in the first 45 which was probably due to him having too much time to decide where to change it. He saw a head effort ball deflected from the goal of a Grealish delivery. He improved tremendously in the second half and kept Giroud calm as he won his aerial doubles on Chelsea balls. Hause is at his best when he doesn’t have to think too much. Always an advantage for Villa defending the corners, such is his size and stature.
TARGET MATT – 8
Against the jet-heeled Hudson-Odoi, the Chelsea right winger who played all over the park during the first half. Targett got skinned a couple of times as Chelsea kept turning down the flanks, but he also earned his fair share of needed headers.
JOHN MCGINN – 8
He started out as a raging bull, but couldn’t deal with Chelsea’s attack during the first half. He played his deepest role again, nullifying his threat and preventing him from entering the opposition box. He saw some passes devoured by the Chelsea defense as they looked to free Watkins. Blocked very well to prevent Pulisic from scoring. He hit the crossbar from 25 yards in the second half. He told Lampard to leave after Kante’s last challenge. He rallied the troops in Mings’s absence and held onto his teammates until the very end. Chased in the middle of the park. The performance of a true Ginny captain.
DOUGLAS LUIZ – 7.5
He did well at first and looked great as a cucumber amid the pressure of Chelsea’s midfield. Mason Mount picked up his game with Chelsea’s tail up and Dougie had to watch out for Mount, Pulisic and Chilwell’s triple threat on Villa’s right side.
ANWAR EL GHAZI – 8
He had an effort stopped by Mendy in the first half, which was one of only two shots on goal in the first 45 for Villa. He showed a good trick once again when he released Douglas Luiz down the left. El Ghazi returned to goals, however, as he finished well at the back post to convert a deep cross from Cash just five minutes after the restart.
JACK GREALISH – 7.5
The captain endured a very sloppy opening in the first 10 minutes, evident when he dropped a hospital pass in midfield that was devoured by Pulisic before Cash finally prevented the American from scoring. However, Grealish had a right foot effort rejected by Mendy right after, and he continued to look menacing. After the break, Villa’s No. 10 advanced in preparation for El Ghazi’s draw. He should have slipped Watkins in the 75th minute, but Kante intercepted his pass. A constant thorn in Chelsea’s side as he continued to finish for the home team.
BERTRAND TRAORE – 6
He couldn’t handle Ben Chilwell at all. The English left-back really enjoyed his chances of getting ahead and did so at will, relentlessly crossing into the area that was the source of Chelsea’s first goal. Traore was nonchalant on defense and left Cash fighting alone in a two-man battle knowing he already had Pulisic to be content with.
OLLIE WATKINS – 7
Lampard’s team had the luxury of making three changes to their back four, which means Rudiger, Christensen and Azpilicueta were fresh from not starting against Arsenal on Boxing Day. Watkins was very busy given Chelsea’s start in this one.
JACOB RAMSEY (in charge of El Ghazi, 82) – NO TIME
He was so close with his first touch with the ball whistling past Mendy’s left post.
KEINAN DAVIS (delivered by Traore, 86) – NO TIME
He played the role of Villa’s center forward with Watkins shifted to the right.
SUBS NOT USED: Heaton, Guilbert, Elmohamady, Taylor, Engels, Nakamba, Hourihane.
CHELSEA: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, Chilwell, Kante, Jorginho (Havertz, 72), Mount, Pulisic, Giroud (Werner, 72), Hudson-Odoi.
SUBS: Kepa, Silva, Tomori, Emerson, Kovacic, Gilmour, Abraham.
GOALS: Giroud (34), El Ghazi (50).
RESERVED: Azpilicueta, Giroud, El Ghazi, Kante.
THE REFERENCE: Stuart atwell
WHERE: Darren England
NEXT FOR VILLA: Manchester United at Old Trafford; Friday January 1; Start at 8:00 p.m.
The BirminghamLive comment system has undergone an overhaul and we want to get even closer to what you are thinking by receiving your feedback on all of our stories, particularly in regards to the Aston Villa discussions. Let us know how you rated the players by giving your opinion in the comment section below.
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