The Premier League’s bottom club slipped closer towards relegation with a 4-0 defeat at Villa Park.
Brad Guzan 6/10 – Pulled off a handful of solid saves but committed a howler on the fourth goal, fumbling a soft shot to allow Pedro to complete the scoring.
Alan Hutton 5/10 – Worked hard without much reward before picking up a second booking late on for a rash challenge on Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Micah Richards 5/10 – Back in his less-than-favourable centre-half role, the skipper made a few smart defensive plays but was consistently caught out of position any time Chelsea ventured forward.
Joleon Lescott 4.5/10 – Lost his man on the opener and never looked comfortable with the pace of Chelsea’s attack.
Aly Cissokho 4/10 – Gave away a penalty just before half-time which Pato promptly dispatched and struggled to contain man-of-the-match Pedro throughout.
Carlos Sanchez 5/10 – Fell asleep on Loftus-Cheek’s opener and looked slow and sluggish before being replaced by Bacuna with 23 minutes left. At this stage, Lyden might as well be starting over him.
Ashley Westwood 5/10 – Virtually invisible for the majority of the game.
Idrissa Gana 5.5/10 – Supplied plenty of energy but failed to make any real impact on the match.
Carles Gil 5.5/10 – Had some bright moments in the first half but couldn’t deliver in the final third. Concern remains that he’s too lightweight for English football.
Jordan Ayew 6/10 – Cut an increasingly frustrated figure as he failed to find a way through the opposition defence. Twice went close to scoring but his finishing let him down.
Rudy Gestede 6/10 – Typically strong in the air but his lack of movement was painfully apparent. The service to him was poor, though.
SUBSTITUTES
Jack Grealish (Gil 66) 6.5/10 – Looked lively after several weeks out through injury.
Leandro Bacuna (Sanchez 67) 6/10 – Made little impact following his introduction.
Jordan Lyden (Gana 82) 6/10 – Didn’t get much of a chance to make his mark with the game as good as over.
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