It is not every day that former Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore praises Chelsea!
However, he could only laud Liam Rosenior’s men following their 4-1 win against his old side at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
Initially, it looked like it was going to be one of those games for Chelsea after they went behind in just the second minute. But a Joao Pedro hat-trick inspired the Blues to an impressive comeback.
Joao Pedro scores a perfect 10, but how would you rate his teammates?
Chelsea player ratings vs Aston Villa
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea performance one of the best Stan Collymore has seen at Villa Park in a while
Chelsea recovered well after going 1-0 down and played particularly well in the second half. It was perhaps the best 45 minutes that they have put in under Rosenior.
Collymore went as far as to say on X that it was one of the best performances that he has seen in B6 for some time.
TV pundit and former Red, Stan Collymore during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Everton
Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Blues needed that win and performance after disappointing results against Arsenal, Burnley and Leeds United.
Chelsea lost 2-1 to Arsenal after drawing with Burnley and Leeds. They were leading against both the newly-promoted sides at Stamford Bridge before collapsing.
Before their trip to Villa Park, Rosenior warned his Chelsea players they were running out of time to save their season. It was a warning that was clearly heard after their performance against the Villans.
Chelsea’s stats vs Aston Villa
Chelsea’s performance at Villa Park was a really dominant one. According to Sofascore, their ball possession was 57%, while they also had an xG of 3.92. Based on that, Rosenior’s team deserved their four goals.
How many Premier League goals will Joao Pedro finish the season with? ⚽️
His hat-trick at Villa Park takes him to 14!
Chelsea's Brazilian striker #20 Joao Pedro scores
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
They created five big chances and had 15 shots in total. Villa’s high line really helped them at times, but Chelsea still had to put away their opportunities and managed to do just that thanks to Pedro.
The Club World Cup winners play Wrexham Town in the FA Cup next before a huge tie against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. With both games being knockout matches, Chelsea need to be as clinical as they were at Villa Park.
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