Chelsea player ratings vs Aston Villa: Thiago Silva error and mindless Malo Gusto red card pile more pressure on Mauricio Pochettino

The Blues struggled against a tenacious Villa team and lost once more.

Chelsea lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on Sunday at Stamford Bridge, making it three games in a row in the Premier League without a victory or a goal.

Nicolas Jackson, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Raheem Sterling tried to get past the well-organized Villa defense during the close encounter, but nothing worked out for the Blues on a frustrating afternoon.

They had a strong start to the second half, but Malo Gusto’s sending-off for tackling Lucas Digne ended it. After a VAR review, the referee opted to change the defender’s initial yellow card to a red one.

After Thiago Silva’s terrible mistake in the middle of the field gave the visitors the ball and they pushed forward, Villa were able to take advantage and Ollie Watkins scored his first goal of the year.

The pressure is already building on Mauricio Pochettino and the Blues’ pricey signings with just one victory out of their first six Premier League games this season.

Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge players are rated by GOAL…

Goalkeeper & Defence

7/10 Robert Sanchez

made outstanding stops to keep Villa at bay in the first half and maintained their strength in the second.

(4) Malo Gusto:

Had a strong right side but was dismissed in the second half for an unnecessary hard challenge on Lucas Digne.

(6/10) Axel Disasi:

He appeared to be playing well defensively, but it turns out he was offside late in the first half.

Silva, Thiago (5/10):

had made numerous crucial clearances and blocks to keep the defense strong, but it was his mistake that gave Villa the ball and allowed them to go up and score.

Liam Colwill (6/10):

To bolster Chelsea’s defense, he took on the role of a traditional left-back and played well when matched up against Moussa Diaby.

Midfield

(5/10) Conor Gallagher

had a few good moments but left some significant gaps in the middle of the field.

6/10 for Moises Caicedo

exhibited strength in the middle of the field and fired Chelsea’s opening shot from a distance.

(6) Enzo Fernandez

Attempts to unite with the attackers while playing from a high vantage point were unsuccessful.

Attack

Raheem Sterling (6 of 10):

Unsatisfactory performance! Although he was promising, his final performance was lacking because of hesitancy, poor choices, or giving in to Villa’s pressure. The second half should have started with a goal.

5/10 for Nicolas Jackson

Whenever Chelsea played quickly and got him in behind the Villa defense, he posed a threat, but this didn’t happen frequently enough.

(6) Mykhailo Mudryk

He made some risky passes and crosses, showcasing his creativity and ability to connect with Jackson and Enzo.

Subs & Manager

7/10 for Ben Chilwell

brought in to play defense after Gusto was sent off. He had a nice low cross, but Villa cleared it. Emi Martinez also stopped one of his shots.

(5) Chimuanya Ugochukwu

With 20 seconds left, came on, but did not contribute anything.

(6) Cole Palmer

Sterling received a terrific opportunity thanks to a good assist, and the winger then found Disasi with a nice connection, but the defender misfired with his shot.

(5/10) Armando Broja

barely got started and a late entrance.

5/10 for Mauricio Pochettino

Although his team had some promising moments, they weren’t strong enough at home. The assailants could not coordinate sufficiently dangerous attacks because they were too easily isolated.