Aston Villa crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth-round on Wednesday evening, losing 3-1 at Villa Park to Chelsea on a frustrating night for Unai Emery’s side.
Not many would have predicted the way that Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side would have been thrown out of the FA Cup by Chelsea, as the Blues dominated proceedings in the fourth-round replay.
The Villans were simply outplayed by Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who were thrilled to claim the tie away from home with an increased away following present at Villa Park.
Goals from Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson in the first half were added to by a stunner from Enzo Fernandez in the second to all but seal the tie, making the relevance of Moussa Diaby’s late goal merely that of a consolation.
Progressing in the cup is always a matter to be celebrated for any side, however, not everyone was impressed with the delight shown by Chelsea on the night.
What Gabby Agbonlahor said about Chelsea’s celebrations against Aston Villa
Taking to Twitter after Villa’s defeat, club legend Gabby Agbonlahor shared his frustrations with the extent of the Blues’ celebrations after winning the tie.
The former Villan dubbed Pochettino’s side as “embarrassing”, highlighting their league position as being a reason to dim down their happiness.
“One quick one before I sleep! Chelsea are 11th and 15th points behind Villa! But are celebrating like they have won the league? Embarrassing bunch of inconsistent big time Charlie’s.”
Sitting in 11th place, Pochettino’s position as manager at Stamford Bridge came under scrutiny after his side’s 4-2 defeat at home to Wolves last weekend, fuelling Agbonlahor’s post-match rant on social media.
The FA Cup opportunity was one that both clubs needed to take with the chance of silverware there, arguably more so for Chelsea who are 20 points off the summit of the Premier League table.
Villa are just five points away from the top, with the chance there for Emery’s side to gain European football again next term and also the unspoken possibility for a title charge.
Clearly responding with frustration fuelled by his former side’s result and performance against Chelsea on the night, Agbonlahor described Villa’s defending as “passive” during the fixture.
For Villa, there is a shot at redemption with Manchester United arriving at Villa Park on Sunday, as well as the chance to right their wrongs against the Blues in April in their next Premier League meeting.
