Chelsea player ratings vs. Aston Villa: A lot of effort, very few ideas

Chelsea played out an inspired, yet dull, draw against Aston Villa, here’s how each individual player performed on the night.

For the fourth time in five games, Chelsea failed to pick up maximum points. The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa, who gave a good account of why it is currently level on points with yesterday’s hosts, despite having played two games fewer. The game provided an opportunity for Frank Lampard to hand out minutes to some of his fringe players. A total of six changes were made to Saturday’s line-up at Arsenal with minimal complaints. Callum Hudson-Odoi was one of those who came into the team for this one after an impressive second-half cameo at the Emirates.

Here’s how the team fared:

Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6/10

Edouard Mendy would have been disappointed to have conceded from the only real chance that the visitors had, but there was little he could have done to prevent it as Anwar El Ghazi was left with far too much room at the back post. He dealt with the Villa’s other attempt on target—a strike from Jack Grealish—comfortably.

Cesar Azpilicueta (Right back): 5.5/10

The Chelsea skipper put in a decent display up against El Ghazi, aside from perhaps the most crucial moment where the Villa man evaded him totally to finish from close range. While he may not be as effective as Reece James going forward, he still created two chances on the night.

Andreas Christensen (Centerback): 6/10

Andreas Christensen was unlucky to not have a decision ruled in his favor after he was fouled in the build-up to the equalizer, but he hardly put a foot wrong in the heart of Chelsea’s defense. He won both of his aerial duels while also completing five out his seven attempted long balls.

Antonio Rudiger (Centerback) : 6/10

Alongside Christensen, Antonio Rudiger was also solid at the back for the Blues. His 58 accurate passes and six clearances were game highs in both categories. Rudiger was also dominant in the air as he finished the game with a 100 percent aerial duel success rate.

Ben Chilwell (Left back): 6.5/10

Ben Chilwell was one of Chelsea’s better performers in the game. His constant flurry of runs into the final third gave the visitors all sorts of problems as Bertrand Traore ended the game having contributed more defensively than offensively. It was his superb delivery that was tucked up by Olivier Giroud for the game’s opener.