Chelsea edged past Aston Villa by a margin of 2-1 at Villa Park. It was a good match of football and the proper essence of a Premier League match was present throughout the 90 minutes of play. With this win, Chelsea stayed at the fourth position in the League with 51 points in 30 matches so far.
The Blues are still five points ahead of the fifth-placed Manchester United side. Chelsea will now face Manchester City in the next match in the Premier League on Thursday ahead of facing Leicester City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup. This win against Aston Villa has been much needed for Frank Lampard’s side ahead of this tough set of fixtures.
Here are the talking points of the match between Chelsea and Aston Villa:
1. N’Golo Kante In His Preferred Central Defensive Midfield Position:
There has been a lot of speculations over the future of N’Golo at Chelsea in the next season. However, the manager of the Blues, Frank Lampard has mentioned in the press conference that the French midfielder is an important part of the squad and he will love to see Kante at Stamford Bridge in the next season.
Jorginho was suspended and in his absence, N’Golo Kante played at his preferred central defensive midfield position. N’Golo Kante showed his class in the field. He provided nine long passes along with two key passes throughout the whole match.
He bossed the midfield with his own brilliance. It was surely a performance to remember from N’Golo Kante. Good to see the French World Cup winner back in form. It was a really positive performance by him.
2. Super Sub- Christian Pulisic:
The manager of Chelsea, Frank Lampard tried to use Ruben Loftus Cheek at wings in the first half. However, that plan did not work as Ruben Loftus Cheek was out of action for almost a year. It was his first appearance after a long break. Moreover, he was not playing in his preferred position.
In the second half, Frank Lampard subbed him off and brought Christian Pulisic in. After the inclusion of Christian Pulisic, Chelsea came back into the game. Christian Pulisic scored the equaliser just five minutes after coming into the field. It was a brilliant cross provided by Cesar Azpilicueta.
Christian Pulisic was just in the right place at the right time. His left-footed shot went past Nyland with ease. Later on, Frank Lampard said that he knew the hunger inside Christian Pulisic. He was working very hard in the training to prove himself and finally, he delivered his best on time.
3. Shaky Defense Of Chelsea:
The defensive unit of the west London outfit is still looking shaky. The Blues are still vulnerable while defending long balls. Defensively, the Blues will certainly face more attacking threats in the upcoming days.
It will be difficult for the Blues to finish at the top four if they can not defend properly in the big matches. Frank Lampard needs to do something to settle the things back ahead of the match against Manchester City on Thursday.
