Aston Villa vs. Chelsea: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match
It was a day of firsts for Chelsea on Saturday, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Alexandre Pato both netted their maiden Premier League goals in a 4-0 victory over an abject Aston Villa side.
The aforementioned duo both netted before the break at Villa Park, with Pato introduced as an early substitute following an injury to Loic Remy. After the interval, Pedro Rodriguez bagged a brace for the visitors; Alan Hutton was red-carded late in what was a coup de grace for the men in claret and blue, who are clearly consigned to their relegation fate.
Having to play early after the international break is never ideal, and the starting XI named by Guus Hiddink for this one reflected that, with Matt Miazga making his first Premier League start for the Blues.
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Here’s a look at the unfamiliar XI selected by the Chelsea boss, per the club’s Twitter feed:
An injury to Remy meant a second player was handed a maiden appearance, too, with Pato, 64 days on from being confirmed as a Chelsea player, was finally given his first competitive minutes for the club.
Chelsea were ahead not long after his introduction, although it was Loftus-Cheek who was on hand to apply the finishing touches to a sweeping move in the 26th minute. The young midfielder was being deployed in an advanced role behind the forward, and he did well to latch onto Cesar Azpilicueta’s low cross and fire past Brad Guzan.
There was a sense of inevitability about the opener at an apathetic Villa Park and, as half-time closed in, a feeling Chelsea could scythe through the home side whenever they pleased. And just before the end of the first period, the visitors had a penalty.
It was Pato who played a key role in its awarding after a clumsy trip from Aly Cissokho, and the forward dusted himself down to fire the ball home, making it 2-0 at the break.
The Brazil international seems to always get off to a good start at new clubs, per Fabrizio Romano of Sky Sport:
As noted by Squawka Football, although he’d only been on the pitch for a few minutes, the former AC Milan man already had a better goal return than some other Blues stars:
There seemed to be little chance of a fightback from Villa, who are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table at this late stage. And as the game resumed in the second period, even the slenderest of hopes were extinguished, with Pedro putting this one to bed.
It was a wonderful move from Chelsea in fairness, the kind of passing play that would have cut through sides better than Villa. They pinged the ball around the box before Oscar was put through, and he squared to the former Barcelona man, who made no mistake from close range.
Despite his struggles this season, Pedro has been one of Chelsea’s most frequent goalscorers in the Premier League. The Blues’ third was his fifth of the season, and against a Villa defence that looked to have thrown in the towel, he didn’t have to wait long for his sixth.
Pato was again involved, as he struck a stinging shot from the edge of the area. Guzan was unable to parry it to safety, and the Chelsea No. 17 was quickest to react, prodding the ball home from close range.
The home fans were not happy, per Match of the Day:
Chelsea could have helped themselves to more goals in the final stages, with half an hour remaining after Pedro’s second goal. But they seemed happy to dictate possession and not heap too much more embarrassment on their opponents.
Hiddink opted to give his third debut of the day to 18-year-old Jake Clarke-Salter, who was introduced in place of Pedro.
Bleacher Report’s Garry Hayes felt as though it was a move with the future in mind:
To cap off a grim day for Villa, Hutton was shown his second caution late in the contest and consequently sent off. When the referee called time on this one, the travelling Chelsea fans probably outnumbered the home supporters, who had understandably trudged away in their droves.
This was a stroll for Chelsea, who preserved their slender hopes of European qualification with this win. With little else to play for, Hiddink was smart to freshen things up, and the visiting supporters would have gone home happy to have seen three debutants in action and two players net their first goals for the club.
Villa, once again, were shocking in all areas of their performance, and you struggle to see where another point is going to come from before the end of this season. The Championship, and some very scary times, beckon for the Birmingham giants.
Post-Match Reaction
Stand-in manager Eric Black opened up to BT Sport after the game, insisting there are some deep-rooted problems at the football club:
By contrast, Hiddink was encouraged by the way his players performed and said he'll continue to give players a chance to make an impression:
