Aston Villa crashed out of the FA Cup on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 at home to Chelsea in the fourth-round replay.
Aston Villa were slammed back down to earth after the highs that Unai Emery witnessed on Saturday against Sheffield United, as the Villans exited the FA Cup after a woeful display against Chelsea.
It was difficult to pinpoint a star performer for the hosts, with too many in the selected XI playing below par from the off as Mauricio Pochettino’s side seemed to effortlessly find their stride.
From lack of attacking threat to a lost battle in midfield, the manager will have a lot to say regarding his side’s display against the Blues, who have recently looked jaded.
One player that was particularly poor was Youri Tielemans, who had his performance dubbed as “horrific” by journalist James Cartledge which was a bleakly accurate assessment.
Completing just 12 passes in 71 minutes, the Belgian was stripped of all the confidence he displayed at Bramall Lane, although alarmingly, he wasn’t the worst of a bad bunch at Villa Park.
How Diego Carlos performed against Chelsea for Aston Villa
Fans will be glad to see the restoration of Pau Torres to the squad after witnessing the performance of Diego Carlos at centre-back for the Villans against Chelsea.
The Brazilian had a night to forget, being at fault for the Blues’ second goal with some sloppy defending and putting in an overall poor shift for his team on the night.
Birmingham World journalist Charlie Haffenden was honest in his assessment of the 30-year-old’s showing in defence, handing him a 4/10 match rating, the lowest of any of his teammates across the back four.
Haffenden relayed that Carlos had left fans inside the stadium “frustrated” by his poor passing, seeing him lose possession seven times as his damning statistics also revealed that he only won a single ground duel and 45% of his total duels, via Sofascore.
“At fault for Jackson’s goal as he misjudged the flight of Gusto’s cross, allowing the striker an easy header. Frustrated Villa fans with his poor passing, too, as he could hardly find a ball more than 10 yards away. Booked for an avoidable foul on Gusto near the halfway line.”
After reviewing Carlos’ performance in the FA Cup, Emery could be inspired to welcome Pau back to the fold sooner rather than later to avoid a repeat of Wednesday night’s chaos.
