Aston Villa faced off against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier tonight as they looked to grind out a surprise win on the road and progress into the next round of the EFL Cup. The Villans kept things solid defensively in the first 45 minutes and managed to go into the half-time break all level on the scoreline.
The Blues struck first in the second half courtesy of Timo Werner’s header in the 54th minute. However, the West Midlands refused to go down without a fight and found the leveler via Cameron Archer’s headed effort just ten minutes later. The match went to penalties after the two sides fought out a 1-1 draw. The Villans ended up losing the shootout by a 3-4 scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Aston Villa player performed during the match against the Blues.
GK: Jed Steer – 6.5/10
Steer made some solid stops during the game but will be disappointed after failing to save a penalty in the shootout.
RB: Matty Cash – 7/10
The English full-back cleared his lines when needed and picked up an assist for setting up Archer’s equalizer.
CB: Axel Tuanzebe – 7/10
He kept a good shape at the back and managed to repel most of what the Chelsea attackers threw at him. He was strong with his tackles and cleared the danger when called into action.
CB: Kortney Hause – 7.5/10
Hause commanded his penalty area with authority and conviction. He made plenty of crucial clearances and even blocked a couple of shots from the opposition.
LB: Ashley Young – 5/10
Young was lacklustre throughout the 90 minutes and missed his penalty in the shootout. A night to forget for the veteran player.
CM: Morgan Sanson – 6.5/10
He had some lively moments in the first half but could only last 42 minutes.
CM: Marvelous Nakamba – 6/10
Nakamba anchored the midfield well and couldn’t beat Kepa Arrizabalaga with his penalty attempt in the shootout.
RM: Bertrand Traore – 7.5/10
The talented winger did his fair share of defending and was a constant menace for the Chelsea defenders. However, he got substituted after the hour mark.
CAM: Emiliano Buendia – 6.5/10
The Argentine playmaker was quiet for most of the game but did well to convert his penalty in the shootout.
LM: Anwar El Ghazi – 7/10
He came back to defend when needed and caused a lot of problems for the Blues defenders over the 90 minutes. He kept his composure to score his penalty after normal time.
ST: Cameron Archer – 7/10
Archer scored the all-important equalizer for the West Midlands club with a great header. It was a great learning experience for him tonight.
Substitutes:
CM: Carney Chukwuemeka – 7/10
He added some energy to Dean Smith’s midfield and made a few good runs with the ball.
RW: Jaden Philogene-Bidace – 6/10
Philogene-Bidace had a few bright moments and got some valuable first-team minutes under his belt.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 7/10
He kept things tidy inside his half and managed to score his penalty in the shootout.
