Chelsea player ratings vs Aston Villa, Pedro Neto superb in new position but awful teammate gets 3/10
Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Aston Villa on Saturday evening as their poor run of results continued.
Pedro Neto assisted teammate Enzo Fernandez to put visitors Chelsea in front during an impressive first half. However, Marco Asensio scored a brace in the second period to turn the game on its head, including an 89th minute winner that goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen let slip under his arms.
The Blues stay sixth in the Premier League table after a defeat on the road this weekend. In this Premier League season, the top five could secure Champions League qualification, but Enzo Maresca’s side could face an uphill battle to secure it.
The Chelsea Chronicle deliver the Blues player ratings from the Villa fixture.
Chelsea player ratings vs Aston Villa
Filip Jorgensen – 4/10
The goalkeeper made some good saves, including one with his legs from Ollie Watkins in the first half. He couldn’t do much about Villa’s equaliser. However, in the final moments of the game, he conceded a goal that any top-flight gloveman should be preventing to cost his side.
Malo Gusto – 3/10
Gusto continued in his position at right-back, showing a willingness to get high and wide when the team were in position. We’ve still got big question marks around the defensive side of his game this season, though. He showed he’s the weak link in the back four right now with a few shaky moments, including for Villa’s equaliser to make it 1-1 when he was caught sleeping at the back post. Also, he was sloppy in possesion.
Trevoh Chalobah – N/A
Unfortunately, Chalobah was forced off with a suspected back injury in just the eighth minute of the game. Hopefully, he doesn’t join the Chelsea injury list for any significant period of time.
Levi Colwill – 6/10
The centre-back hasn’t been in the best of form recently, so it was nice to see a steadier performance from him. Chelsea retain full faith in Colwill and he’s clearly an important part of the current group.
Marc Cucurella – 6/10
Cucurella was pretty solid at left-back and much improved from last time out against Brighton. There was a bust up in the manager’s dugout after the left-back was hacked down aggressively.
Reece James – 6/10
It was a surprise to everyone to see him start and operate in central midfield. Even though he was guilty of a few sloppy passes, he did settle into the position. Nothing too flashy or memorable, but crucial minutes into his legs.
Moises Caicedo – 6/10
He was his usual self in the centre of the park, going about his work with quality on and off the ball. Caicedo may feel he was robbed of an assist late on when Cole Palmer couldn’t convert his through ball.
Enzo Fernandez – 7/10
Played as the most advanced of a midfield three, Fernandez was a real threat to Villa’s defence when he burst forward into the attacking third of the pitch. He broke the deadlock in the ninth minute after racing into the box and finishing first time. He was the pick of the bunch in the new-look Blues midfield.
Cole Palmer – 5/10
Palmer operated from the right wing at Villa Park, which is a role he’s not played since the opening day of the 2024/25 season. He knows the position well after thriving from the right in the previous campaign under Mauricio Pochettino’s management. As expected, he grew into the game by popping up in some great areas. Unfortunately, his end product in front of goal let him down on a couple of times as his run stretched to six matches across all competitions without scoring or assisting.
Pedro Neto – 8/10
On a day full of tactical surprises, Neto’s role as the central striker was the top of the shocks. In fairness, the Portuguese attacker excelled in the position, especially early on when he was buzzing around the pitch. Of course, he’s never going to be an out-and-out striker, but his enthusiasm and effort definitely made the difference. His rating would’ve been even higher with a goal or assist to his name.
Christopher Nkunku – 5/10
Unlike in recent games, Nkunku operated from the left wing rather than as the centre-forward. The Frenchman was far more involved and comfortable on the left of a front three. However,
Substitutions
Tosin Adarabioyo – 6/10
Tosin played nearly the entire match because of Chalobah’s early withdrawal. The imposing central did pop up with some notable clearances in his own penalty box.
Jadon Sancho – N/A
Sancho came on for the final 15 minutes to replace Nkunku on the left wing.
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