John Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings as Unai Emery’s side lose heavily to Chelsea at Villa Park
21:36, 04 Mar 2026Updated 21:55, 04 Mar 2026
Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s buffer inside the top five has been reduced to just three points after losing 4-1 to Champions League-chasing rivals Chelsea.
Douglas Luiz opened the scoring early on, but Joao Pedro struck twice before the break and then completed his hat-trick after Cole Palmer had extended the lead in the second half.
Defeat to the Blues means Villa are now only three points clear inside the top five ahead of a trip to Manchester United next Sunday.
Villa started brightly and took the lead in the fourth minute when Leon Bailey rolled the ball across the box for Luiz to flick past Filip Jorgensen, after Ollie Watkins cleverly left it.
Minutes later, Pedro had his first sight of goal after being picked out by Alejandro Garnacho, but Emi Martinez prevented the Brazilian from equalising.
Another save from Martinez to deny Palmer, along with Ezri Konsa’s block to stop Garnacho in the box, preserved Villa’s lead until their next opportunity in the 24th minute, which fell to Watkins.
Martinez pinged the ball down the middle of the pitch for Watkins to chase, and after outmuscling Wesley Fofana, the striker failed to make clean contact and trouble Jorgensen.
Chelsea restored parity in the 35th minute as Malo Gusto squared the ball across goal for Pedro to finish.
Watkins thought he had ended his goalscoring drought after being played in by Morgan Rogers and finishing with his weaker left foot, but VAR ruled it out for a marginal offside.
With eight minutes added on at the end of the half, there was still time for Pedro to grab his second before the interval.
Fernandes received the ball from Garnacho before slipping Pedro through on goal, and the former Brighton striker delicately dinked the ball over Martinez to turn the game on its head.
Matty Cash was withdrawn at half-time after being booked and appearing to pick up a knock in the first half. Replaced by Lamare Bogarde, the young defender made a strong start to the second period with a crunching tackle on Garnacho.
Villa’s task became even harder when Palmer added a third for the away side. Martinez pushed Reece James’ cross back into danger, where Palmer reacted quickest to the loose ball and fired home.
Watkins should have punished Chelsea after they gave the ball away in their own defensive third, but instead of shooting early, he tried to work an angle and was quickly smothered.
Unai Emery turned to Ross Barkley, Jadon Sancho and Alysson in the 63rd minute, but Chelsea put the game beyond Villa moments later as Pedro completed his hat-trick.
Garnacho should have added a fifth, but was denied by compatriot Martinez from close range.
Player ratings
Emi Martinez
Martinez made two strong saves in the first 20 minutes, with his first to deny Pedro the most impressive. He pinged a brilliant ball down the middle of the pitch for Watkins to chase, but the striker didn’t make clean contact. He pushed the ball out for Palmer’s goal but denied Garnacho late on. 5
Matty Cash
Cash was walking a tightrope after fouling Garnacho on the counter-attack in the 32nd minute. After appearing to pick up a knock as well, he was replaced at half-time by Bogarde. 5
Ezri Konsa
Konsa made an important block in the 22nd minute to prevent Garnacho’s effort from troubling Martinez. The Villa backline struggled to deal with balls played in behind them tonight. 4
Tyrone Mings
Mings returned to the starting XI tonight. He played Pedro onside for the second goal, but it was by millimetres. 4
Ian Maatsen
Maatsen was also one of three changes for the game against Chelsea. He offered a positive outlet down the left in the first half, but Villa struggled in the second period. 4
Amadou Onana
Onana made a crunching tackle on Garnacho in the 13th minute to prevent the Argentine from leading a dangerous counter-attack. You wanted to see more of that from Onana, but Chelsea’s midfield were far superior this evening. 4
Douglas Luiz
Luiz scored his first goal in over two years in the fourth minute, cleverly flicking the ball past Jorgensen. 5
Leon Bailey
Bailey was a surprise inclusion in the starting XI but set up Luiz’s opening goal as he skipped past Hato and picked out the midfielder in the box. 5
Emi Buendia
Buendia picked out Watkins’ run into the box in the 31st minute, taking up dangerous positions between the lines when Villa had the ball. He lost possession in the build-up to Chelsea’s third goal and drifted out of the game. 4
Morgan Rogers
Rogers put his body in the way of Reece James’ shot in the 29th minute, with his block sending the ball down the other end of the pitch. He assisted what Villa thought was an equaliser after driving upfield before offloading to Watkins. 4
Ollie Watkins
Watkins retained his place up front. He was intelligent to step over the ball and allow Luiz to convert Bailey’s cross, but got his finish wrong in the 24th minute after being played in by Martinez’s long pass. He thought he had restored Villa’s lead, but VAR ruled him marginally offside. He should have punished Chelsea for giving the ball away in their own defensive third, but tried to work an angle rather than finishing first time past Jorgensen. Despite not scoring, his overall performance was better tonight. 4
SUBS
Lamare Bogarde (for Cash, 46′): The young defender made a strong tackle on Garnacho in the 51st minute, winning a goal kick despite the Chelsea winger entering the box at speed. He lost the winger for Chelsea’s fourth goal, however. 4
Alysson (for Bailey, 63′): Showed some energy and positivity after coming on. 5
Ross Barkley (for Luiz, 63′): Threaded a few passes into the final third. 5
Jadon Sancho (for Buendia, 63′): Would have had a point to prove against the team he spent the season at last term, but came on when the game was done. 5
Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 72′): Should have been brought on much earlier, again. Hit the bar with a header. 6
Subs not used: Bizot, Lindelof, Digne, Torres.
GOALS
Aston Villa: Luiz (4′)
Chelsea: Pedro (35′, 45+6′, 64′), Palmer (55′)
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