Chelsea have come up short against Aston Villa after losing 1-2 at Stamford Bridge in their penultimate match of 2025.
This was a game of two halves. In the opening 45 minutes, the Blues were in the ascendancy; they took the game by the scruff of the neck and put the visitors under the cosh. Unai Emery’s side was unable to get out of their own half, and the hosts kept pushing to break the deadlock.
After being kept at bay for 37 minutes, the Blues were awarded for their pressure and took the lead courtesy of Joao Pedro. The only negative during the first period was that Chelsea were only leading 1-0 at half-time, despite having countless opportunities to extend their lead.
However, the visitors flipped the switch in the second half, especially after Emery made three substitutions in the 59th minute. The Blues started to make plenty of sloppy mistakes, lost concentration and were their own worst enemy. Benoit Badiashile made a gigantic mistake which led to Ollie Watkins equalising for the Villans.
After that point, the momentum of the game changed, and the Blues were very undisciplined defensively. Later on, the visitors deservedly got a second goal of the match and put the dagger to Chelsea’s hearts.
Starting XI
Robert Sanchez - 7
The 27-year-old was not at fault for either of the two goals that the hosts conceded. The Spanish international was commanding his own box well; he was claiming every cross that came his way and started plenty of counterattacks for his side by being direct and throwing the ball to his teammates early.
On top of this, the former Brighton goalkeeper made some vital saves to keep his side in the game when they were all over the place defensively. His only mistake was slipping after having the ball in his hands, outside of the penalty box. This led to the visitors winning a vital free kick in the 90th minute. However, expect that the goalkeeper played at a high level.
Reece James - 6
Chelsea’s captain executed his role to a tee. Defensively, the right back dealt with the in-form Morgan Rogers well for the most part. The Cobham academy graduate was constantly overlapping, particularly in the first half, and he gave the Villans something to think about tactically.
On top of this, there were periods where he inverted into midfield in order to help out Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, in order to nullify a magnificent Aston Villa midfield. The 26-year-old has been brilliant this season and this was yet another strong performance from him.
Trevoh Chalobah - 4
Chelsea as a team did not have to do a lot of defending during the first 45 minutes. As a result, Chalobah’s job was to win any long ball that came his way and give the ball to the midfielders ahead of him. He did that perfectly in the first half.
However, when Aston Villa took control of the game in the second period, the defender was unable to deal with Ollie Watkins, as shown in the first goal that the Blues conceded. The 26-year-old was too slow to react to the danger, and by the time he tried to block the striker’s shot, the damage was already done. After that goal, his individual performance fell off a cliff.
Benoit Badiashile - 4
Just like Chalobah, the centre back’s performance was very underwhelming after the 59th minute. The French international was very sloppy on the ball; he kept giving possession away in his own half and was very rash defensively.
His sloppy pass led to the visitors getting themselves back into the game in the 63rd minute. Chelsea were in control of the match up until that point, and his critical mistake flipped the game on its head.
Marc Cucurella - 5
The left back was very robust and solid defensively. However, going forward, there were some opportunities inside the opposing team’s penalty area to put in a great cross and to create a big chance for his team.
However, his final pass or efficiency from the final third was not up to the standard required, and his passing was not the sharpest or crispest. Overall, this wasn’t the 27-year-old’s finest performance, especially going forward as an overlapping left back.
Moises Caicedo - 5
The Ecuadorian international was brilliant in the first half. Caicedo won the majority of his 50-50 duels; he nullified **Aston Villa**’s midfield and controlled the middle of the park. On top of this, the midfielder was crucial to stopping 2-3 Villa counterattacks in the first half. However, his performance got worse as the game went on.
In the second period, he was pushing higher up the pitch. As a result, the visitors had plenty of space to explore in the middle of the park. Caicedo started to lose his discipline and was not breaking the lines as he did in the first half. This was unusual for a player who has been magnificent since he joined the Blues.
Enzo Fernandez - 4
The World Cup winner had a few opportunities in the final third to put the ball in the back of his net. In the first half, the midfielder found himself with plenty of space near the edge of Villa’s box, but he was unable to test Emiliano Martinez. Despite this, the Argentine international took the game by the scruff of the neck.
However, during the second period, there were plenty of moments were he missed timed his tackles and as a result this left Caicedo on an island by himself. To add more salt to the wounds, the midfielder became a lot more sloppy in possession and was very poor overall in the second half.
Pedro Neto - 3
The winger was very predictable and easy to defend. Throughout the game, the Portuguese international was just putting crosses into the box, even if there was nobody to attack the ball. Neto was unable to complete either of his two dribbles against the former Chelsea left back Ian Maatsen.
He put in plenty of crosses into the Aston Villa box and despite having 67 touches, he was unable to create a clear-cut chance for his teammates. The winger’s decision-making and end product left a lot to be desired. He was also unable to take advantage of some counterattacks that were started by Robert Sanchez.
Cole Palmer - 4
The attacking midfielder did not make his mark in the game. There were occasions where the Villans were double-teaming Palmer in order to stop him from making an impact in the match.
However, when he found himself with space, his final pass or shot did not match the high standards that he has set for himself. He couldn’t find a way to create clear-cut chances or find a moment of magic.
Alejandro Garnacho - 3
Just like his teammate Pedro Neto, the left winger also found himself with a lot of space, because Unai Emery was trying to shut down the middle of the park. Garnacho was not direct because he did not attempt a single dribble throughout the match.
There were so many opportunities for him to put Matty Cash on the back foot and create havoc, but he couldn’t pull it off. The Argentine international had 10 touches inside the opposition’s box, which was the most in the match. However, he was very wasteful in the final third and couldn’t capitalise on all the space that he had in front of him.
Joao Pedro - 5
The main positive that the striker can take away from the game is that he put the ball in the back of the net. However, his all-around performance lacked efficiency and a clinical edge. He had a big chance to break the deadlock, just before the Blues scored their first goal, but he was unable to beat Martinez. His hold-up play lacked consistency.
There were a few times where he got the better of the two Aston Villa centre-backs, whether it was in the ground or in the air. However, overall, he did not give them a run for their money.
Substitutes
Liam Delap - 3
The 22-year-old striker got booked two minutes after coming on. On top of this, he lost the majority of his duels against Ezri Konsa and was not able to make an impact in the game.
The two opposing centre-backs nullified Delap, and he did not do anywhere near enough in a span of 26 minutes to show why he should be the Blues' leading striker.
Jamie Gittens - 4
This was a brilliant opportunity for Gittens to show Enzo Maresca why he should be getting more gametime. However, he was sloppy in possession, did not make an impact in the final third and kept taking shots when there was a defender right next to him.
The left winger has to play with more directness, urgency and intensity because he is not causing defences any issues as of this current moment.
Malo Gusto - 3
The French international was playing out of position as a left back after coming on. However, he was very poor defensively, kept giving the ball away and was at fault for Villa’s second goal after losing Watkins during the corner kick.
The defender struggled to do the basics at a high level and was not a difference maker.
Estevao - 5
The exciting and dynamic right winger did not receive the ball as much as he would have liked to.
Although when he did, he received it on his own half because Chelsea were struggling to take off the ball away from Aston Villa, towards the end of the match. The 18-year-old did not get enough opportunities to put the Villans' defence under pressure.