Chelsea vs Aston Villa Player Ratings

Chelsea
Cech - 5

Cech was left exposed by his high defensive line throughout and could hardly be blamed for the three goals conceded.

Terry - 4.5

Not a very assuring performance from Terry as his lack of speed was woefully exposed by the far speedier trio of Albrighton, Agbonlaor and Ireland. He's definitely suited to defend in the box, not out of it. Heard that, Mr Villas-Boas?

Luiz - 5

Did marginally better than Terry for the fact that he was able to recover quickly when tracking back and looked very steady when bringing the ball up in possession. Resisted the mad urges to rush upfield like a striker too.

Cole - 5.5

One of Chelsea's best players in a poor outing for the Blues. Marauded up and down the flank like he usually does and offered an extra route to attack. Could still have done better in marking Albrighton though.

Ferreira (Off 75') - 4

It turned out that Ferreira was even more woeful than N'Zogbia, who had a woeful season so far. Not surprising actually, given the fact that he is rusty after being kept out of the side by Ivanovic and Bosingwa most of the time.

Romeu (Off 57') - 5

Faced off Petrov in the middle and did rather admirably but failed to rise above the ocassion to spark his side ahead. He'll need to improve beyond providing a physical presence for his side to become a crucial member of Chelsea's midfield.

Raul Meireles - 4.5

Part of Chelsea's listless midfield, Meireles couldn't quite find his passing boots today and failed to supply the passes to drive his side forward.

Ramires - 4

Ramires was especially wasteful of possession throughout the match, which could be held responsible for Chelsea's insipid passing game. Ramires did try to make it up with his industry but it wasn't what his side needed.

Mata - 6

Once again, Mata was the one Chelsea turned to and once again, Mata looked the most lively and creative of all the players. However, he was constantly marked and kept quiet by an excellent Villa defence.

Drogba - 5

Managed to win and score the penalty but Drogba was left to fend for himself against Collins and Dunne too often. Surely the Drogba of old would have conjured some magic for his side but sadly, he's past his prime at 33 years old. 

Sturridge (Off 63') - 4

Sturridged proved this season that he has the special touch to gift his side goals with the mercurial touch but he was nowehere to be found against Stephen Warnock. The only attempts he had were long shots from the flanks which would never body any keeper of decent standing.

Subs
Lampard (On 57') -  4.5

He was expected to come on and drive the incoherent midfield forward but instead it was his errant pass that gifted Aston Villa a goal.

Torres (On 63') - 5.5

Actually, Torres didn't do too badly if he's compared to his usual performance in blue.

Bosingwa (On 75') - N/A

Aston Villa

Guzan - 7

Guzan always looked comfortable and likely to come out tops in a match where he was protected by his defenders. Pulled off an acrobatic save to deny Bosingwa's long shot in the second half.

Dunne - 7

A Premier League veteran like Dunne should know better than to concede a penalty through a clumsy tackle. Other than that, Dunne was excellent and absolutely dominant in the air, heading away cross after cross.

Collins - 7.5

Rallied his defence well and organised the final third against Chelsea well to give his keeper minimal work to do, reducing Chelsea to shot attempts from far.

Warnock - 7.5

Did an admiral job against Sturridge and kept the dangerous youngster at bay all match long, which is easier said than done.

Cuellar - 6

Didn't quite get a handle on Mata, but then again, there aren't many who could have. Still, Cuellar did enough to make sure Mata was forced to float crosses in for Dunne and Collins to handle most of the time.

Clark - 6.5

Sat in the middle well and was always quick to get to get rid of the loose ball in Aston Villa's area.

Petrov (Off 84') - 7.5

Petrov was a constant presence in the middle of the park and was always there to pressuer Chelsea's mifield trio into mistakes.

N'Zogbia (Off 79') - 7.5

One of N'Zogbia's best performance for Villa this season. Full of running and verve, N'Zogbia was always ready to break on the counter and always testing Ferreira.

Albrighton (Off 79') - 8

Up against England's premier left back in Cole, Albrighton acquitted himself decently, trying to exploit the space behind and sharp with his passes to set up counter attacks.

Agbonlahor - 8

He was constantly bugging Terry and Luiz by hanging around their shoulders to exploit the high defensive line and dragging them out of position. However, his finishing could have been better when he was one-on-one with Cech in the 53rd minute.

Ireland - 8.5

Roaming in between Chelsea's midfield and defence, Ireland used the freedom he was given well and looked alert all the time, launching counter-attacks for his side and calmly coordinating his side's play with sharp passing.

Substitutions
Gardner (On 79') -  N/A

Bent (On 79') - N/A

Bannan (On 84') - N/A