Pranav Shahaney

Fri 26 January 2024 21:39, UK

Aston Villa and Chelsea shared the spoils in the FA Cup with the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge on Friday, 26 January.

Despite the Blues dominating possession, they do not really create too many defining chances to showcase that it was a backs-to-the-walls job by the visitors.

Unai Emery’s side put a good account of themselves and had decent chances to even win the game.

Here are our player ratings from the game:

Emi Martinez – 9

As Statman Dave shared, the Argentina World Cup winner made five saves in the first half alone. Three of those were shots taken inside the box and he was the one who kept Emery’s side in the game. He was also successful at sweeping up whenever needed. Per Sofascore, at the end of the game, he amassed five saves, with a quiet second half in terms of saves but still marshalled his defence well and stepped out of his box as and when the game called for it.

Matty Cash – 4

Kept getting bullied by Raheem Sterling and was extremely fortunate that the Blues attackers were not clinical enough. Had they been, Cash would’ve paid for his mistakes and Aston Villa would have been chasing the game right from the first half. He even lost 50% of his attempted duels and looked off the pace in the game. Was taken off before the end and was fortunate that his side had not conceded any goals.

Ezri Konsa – 8

Was immaculate with his passing and rarely let anything slip by defensively. He completed 38 of his 39 passes with a pass accuracy of 97 per cent. He even completed all three of his attempted long balls in what was a stellar display at centre-back.

Clement Lenglet – 6

Not as efficient as Konsa was with his passing but did a good job defensively and supported his partner pretty well. He won 100 per cent of his duel attempts and justified his inclusion in the side, although he could’ve done a lot more on the defensive side of things.

Alex Moreno – 5

Was extremely fortunate not to be cautioned for a pretty obvious foul on Noni Madueke in the second half of the game. In the first half, his rather suspect positioning almost led to an own goal which was prevented because of Martinez’s heroics.

John McGinn – 5

His lack of pace was evident on the right wing and often in transition, he was found out of position. He still did not give it up and was a threat while delivering corners. He failed to complete any of his three attempted crosses and just one out of four of his long balls. A bittersweet performance from him.

Douglas Luiz – 8

Had a goal ruled out for offside but it was still an impressive performance from the Brazilian. Up against one of the most expensive midfields in the game, Luiz showed them who’s boss and Emery will be pleased with the performance of the Aston Villa midfielder.

Boubacar Kamara – 7

Much like Luiz, he absolutely bossed the midfield and made everyone believe that it was him and not Moises Caicedo who cost more than £100million. He won four out of five of his attempted aerial duels and ensured that the Chelsea midfield was always cautious when they were looking to attack down the middle.

Youri Tielemans – 3

Had a zero per cent accuracy with his long-ball attempts and ended up losing four out of his attempted seven ground duels. He even lost 50 per cent of his aerial duels and Emery certainly will not have been pleased with his display. For large stages of the game, he looked like the worst player on the pitch and Aston Villa seemed to play better without him in the eleven.

Moussa Diaby – 6

Had just one shot on target and another blocked one, but did not quite have the freedom he would against a lesser side. He was still pretty effective with his passes and looked to combine well with Ollie Watkins. On another day, he would’ve perhaps scored a goal.

Ollie Watkins – 5

Appeared to be trying too hard on occasion and perhaps if he had played a simpler game, the result might have been different. He failed to complete a single dribble in the 90 minutes he was on the field of play, and could get just one shot on target which is pretty poor from the high standards he’s set.

Subs

Diego Carlos – 5

Nicolo Zaniolo – 5

Leon Bailey – N/A

In other Aston Villa news, a Sky Sports pundit has savaged a first-team player and called him “Foolish” after what he did recently.

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