Chelsea vs. Aston Villa: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Chelsea defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with a Diego Costa goal and an own goal from Alan Hutton.
Although the scoreline may suggest the Blues took care of business easily, the hosts didn't turn in a standout performance with a few of their stars on the bench.
Despite not fully impressing in front of the home crowd in west London, Chelsea did move up to 11th place in the Premier League table on 11 points. The loss kept Villa in the bottom three on four points.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Chelsea's home win over Villa.
Winner: Diego Costa
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Diego Costa didn't necessarily have a fantastic game on Saturday, but he was in the right place at the right time on both of Chelsea's goals.
In the 34th minute, Costa made a run into the box to latch onto Willian's pass following Brad Guzan's awful clearance from the right side of the penalty area.
Nine minutes into the second half, Costa displayed some nice skill as he pulled down Cesc Fabregas' pass from midfield and cut in from the left side of the box. Costa attempted to cross the ball, but it took a wicked deflection off Alan Hutton and found the back of the net.
The goal marked the first time Costa scored in league play since August 23 against West Bromwich Albion.
Loser: Brad Guzan
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Brad Guzan committed a brutal error in the 34th minute that led to Chelsea's opener at Stamford Bridge.
The American, who faced some pressure from the Chelsea attackers earlier in the half, rushed his pass in the direction of Joleon Lescott and put his team in a bad position, as the defender could not latch onto the heavy pass.
Willian intercepted Guzan's horrid pass with ease and found an open Costa in the middle of the box for the first tally of the contest.
Guzan's mistake took the air out of Villa, who had put together a decent performance up until that point.
But instead of gaining confidence with every scoreless minute that passed, the Villains entered the half with their heads hanging low and never recovered.
Winner: Jack Grealish
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For the first 45 minutes of the match, Jack Grealish was the best player on the pitch, as he was able to find holes in the Chelsea defense.
Grealish darted through the Chelsea back four and set up some dangerous moves forward for Villa as he displayed no fear of the big stage and the high quality of his opponent.
Although his productivity dropped off as the match went on, Grealish's play in the first half was one of the few positives Tim Sherwood's side took out of west London.
With a relegation fight on their hands already, the Villains will need more of this out of Grealish as they try to stay within reach of the 17 clubs above them in the table.
Loser: Ruben Loftus-Cheek
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek was handed an opportunity to impress on Saturday as Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho tried to switch things up in his starting 11.
After a lightning-fast start in which he put pressure on Guzan and made a surging run forward from his No. 10 position in the third minute, Loftus-Cheek fell silent in the Chelsea attack.
In his 45 minutes on the pitch, Loftus-Cheek completed just six of his passes, which left him with a pass-completion rate of 67 percent, per Squawka.
Due to his rough outing, Loftus-Cheek was substituted for Nemanja Matic at the start of the second half. To make matters worse for the young player, Matic and Fabregas turned in a decent final 45 minutes, which made the 19-year-old's performance look even worse.
Winner: Cesc Fabregas
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Cesc Fabregas replaced a forgettable first half with a strong second half, as he moved up the pitch following Matic's introduction to the match.
The Spaniard's top moment of the final 45 minutes came in the 54th minute, when he lofted a beautiful pass onto Costa's chest in the build-up to the second Chelsea goal.
Fabregas' push forward into the No. 10 role added some much-needed help to the Chelsea attack after Loftus-Cheek disappeared during most of the first half.
If Mourinho trusts Matic and Ramires in front of the back four, we will see Fabregas in a playmaking role more, which could help turn Chelsea's season around.
Loser: Baba Rahman
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Baba Rahman showed on Saturday that he's not quite ready for the big stage.
Rahman was exposed on numerous occasions in the first half as Villa pushed for an early goal. Although he did improve in the second half, Rahman still showed future opponents he has plenty of things to work on before he can earn the full trust of Mourinho.
The good news for the Blues is they recorded a clean sheet without Branislav Ivanovic, but there is still room for improvement.
If Rahman can improve with Ivanovic out, the Blues will eventually grow their depth at the full-back position.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
