Stamford Bridge opened its doors to host this Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa. We have the player ratings.
Chelsea needed to win against Aston Villa tonight after the most recent defeat against Arsenal on Boxing Day. Frank Lampard decided to leave some of the most disappointing players from that game on the bench. He also decided to give Olivier Giroud a new chance to play and the Frenchman didn’t disappoint. The veteran striker scored a vintage header during the first half that opened the score for the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
With this goal, Giroud has now scored 8 goals in his last 8 matches. There’s no doubt that he has been the most prolific player for Frank Lampard’s side throughout the season. After today’s display, it’s pretty clear he should be the starring striker instead of Timo Werner. But the Blues were facing arguably the best Aston Villa of the last 20 years with Jack Grealish leading the charge.
Grealish commands Villa’s equalizer.
Starting the second half, Jack Grealish commanded the equalizer that Anwar El Ghazi scored within five minutes after the break. He connected a precise cross from the right side sent by Cash. The ‘Villains’ got to keep the result as it was with Chelsea failing to score another goal despite their many efforts.
With this result, both sides are tied with 26 points and remain active in the fight for the title. There are only six points separating the first and eighth place in the Premier League table. This year’s competition is arguably the most exciting of the last decade with several clubs considered title contenders.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Mendy (6), Azpilicueta (6), Rudiger (6), Christensen (6), Chilwell (6), Jorginho (5), Kante (6), Pulisic (6), Mount (6), Hudson-Odoi (6), Giroud (7).
Bench: Havertz (6), Werner (6).
Aston Villa: Martinez (7), Targett (5), Consa (6), McGinn (7), Hause (6), Grealish (7), El Ghazi (7), Cash (6), Luiz (5), Traore (5), Watkins (5).
Bench: Ramsey (5), Davis (5).
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