5 Things Learned: Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa | Premier League

The Blues fail to pick up three points again. This time at home to Aston Villa, which sees Chelsea only win one of their last five games.

From the early exchanges, the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic had a lot of joy on the flanks. Villa threatened as well, but it was Chelsea who took the lead.

A nice piece of play saw Ben Chilwell find Olivier Giroud who scored once again for Frank Lampard’s side.

Olivier Giroud’s good run of form continues. 

(Photo by JOHN WALTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Early in the second half, it was Aston Villa who started on the front foot and were eventually rewarded. Matty Cash’s deep cross found Anwar El Ghazi to net Villa’s equaliser.

Despite constant pressure from then on in, Frank Lampard’s men had to settle for a draw in which has only added more pressure for the Blues manager.

Here’s our five things we learned from Chelsea’s defeat:

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1. Chelsea enjoyed a lot of success down the left-hand side

From start to finish, the likes of Ben Chilwell and Christian Pulisic had so much freedom on the left flank to create chances. This was due to Villa being sloppy at times. Fullback Matty Cash was isolated as Bertrand Traore was reluctant to drop deep and support his fellow teammate. Eventually, the Blues were rewarded on that side with Chilwell’s cross finding the head of Olivier Giroud to nod Chelsea in front.

2. Callum Hudson-Odoi has given Frank Lampard a selection headache

After his performance in the second half against Arsenal, Callum Hudson-Odoi was rewarded with a start against Villa. Throughout the game, Hudson-Odoi was at the heart of the Blues’ attack and being a true catalyst driving forward. His diagonal balls and bursting runs caused real havoc down the flanks. It’s fair to say that Callum impressed many Chelsea fans in what was a decent showing from the youngster.

The draw with Villa means that Chelsea have only won once in their last five league games.

(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

3. The changes did not pay dividends

When Frank released his starting lineup for the clash with Aston Villa, he made six changes from the defeat to Arsenal. The likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all started for the Blues. In what was a must-win game for Chelsea, none of the changes managed to make a real impact on the game, bar forward Olivier Giroud who netted Chelsea’s only goal. It was an opportunity for hinge players to stake their claim for a starting position in the future, but it was a disappointing display from a lot of the players today.

4. Chelsea were simply not ruthless in the final third

For large periods of the game, Chelsea were on top. Villa had their spells being on the front foot, but the Blues were the side that consistently threatened. With the way Villa set up, Chelsea were forced into having pops at goal outside the box in which was comfortably dealt with by keeper Emi Martinez. The likes of Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell shone going forward, but it was that final chance in what was missing for the Blues. The draw only adds pressure to the side, with Chelsea only winning once in their last five league outings.

Chelsea had their chances, but failed to convert.

(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

5. Ben Chilwell deserves a lot of credit with his solid performance

When the Blues faithful saw Ben Chilwell start against Arsenal, questions were raised as to whether or not the fullback was fully fit. The Englishman then saw his name on the teamsheet against Villa. It was apparent that right from minute one, Chelsea had a lot of joy down the left-hand side, with Chilwell having the freedom of Stamford Bridge to pick a player out in the box. As well as assisting Olivier Giroud, Chilwell was consistent in bursting forward and delivering in the final third. He was unfortunate not to bag the winner late on with a sensational volley.

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Next up for Frank Lampard’s side is Manchester City in the Premier League.

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