![\"Joao](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_JS398722973.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJohn Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings as Unai Emery’s side lose heavily to Chelsea at Villa Park<\/p>\n
21:36, 04 Mar 2026Updated 21:55, 04 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
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Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa<\/p>\n
Aston Villa\u2019s buffer inside the top five has been reduced to just three points after losing 4-1 to Champions League-chasing rivals Chelsea.<\/a><\/p>\n Douglas Luiz opened the scoring early on<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n Defeat to the Blues means Villa are now only three points clear inside the top five ahead of a trip to Manchester United<\/a> next Sunday.<\/p>\n Villa <\/a>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.<\/p>\n Minutes later, Pedro had his first sight of goal after being picked out by Alejandro Garnacho, but Emi Martinez prevented the Brazilian from equalising.<\/p>\n Another save from Martinez to deny Palmer, along with Ezri Konsa\u2019s block to stop Garnacho in the box, preserved Villa\u2019s lead until their next opportunity in the 24th minute, which fell to Watkins.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Chelsea restored parity in the 35th minute as Malo Gusto squared the ball across goal for Pedro to finish.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n With eight minutes added on at the end of the half, there was still time for Pedro to grab his second before the interval.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Matty Cash was withdrawn at half-time after being booked and appearing to pick up a knock in the first half.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.<\/p>\n Villa\u2019s task became even harder when Palmer added a third for the away side. Martinez pushed Reece James\u2019 cross back into danger, where Palmer reacted quickest to the loose ball and fired home.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Garnacho should have added a fifth, but was denied by compatriot Martinez from close range.<\/p>\n Player ratings<\/p>\n Emi Martinez<\/p>\n 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\u2019t make clean contact. He pushed the ball out for Palmer\u2019s goal but denied Garnacho late on. 5<\/p>\n Matty Cash<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n Ezri Konsa<\/p>\n Konsa made an important block in the 22nd minute to prevent Garnacho\u2019s effort from troubling Martinez. The Villa backline struggled to deal with balls played in behind them tonight. 4<\/p>\n Tyrone Mings<\/p>\n Mings returned to the starting XI tonight. He played Pedro onside for the second goal, but it was by millimetres. 4<\/p>\n Ian Maatsen<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n Amadou Onana<\/p>\n 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\u2019s midfield were far superior this evening. 4<\/p>\n Douglas Luiz<\/p>\n Luiz scored his first goal in over two years in the fourth minute, cleverly flicking the ball past Jorgensen. 5<\/p>\n Leon Bailey<\/p>\n Bailey was a surprise inclusion in the starting XI but set up Luiz\u2019s opening goal as he skipped past Hato and picked out the midfielder in the box. 5<\/p>\n Emi Buendia<\/p>\n Buendia picked out Watkins\u2019 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\u2019s third goal and drifted out of the game. 4<\/p>\n Morgan Rogers<\/p>\n Rogers put his body in the way of Reece James\u2019 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<\/p>\n Ollie Watkins<\/p>\n Watkins retained his place up front. He was intelligent to step over the ball and allow Luiz to convert Bailey\u2019s cross, but got his finish wrong in the 24th minute after being played in by Martinez\u2019s long pass. He thought he had restored Villa\u2019s 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<\/p>\n SUBS<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n Alysson (for Bailey, 63′): Showed some energy and positivity after coming on. 5<\/p>\n Ross Barkley (for Luiz, 63′): Threaded a few passes into the final third. 5<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 72′): Should have been brought on much earlier, again. Hit the bar with a header. 6<\/p>\n Subs not used: Bizot, Lindelof, Digne, Torres.<\/p>\n GOALS<\/p>\n Aston Villa: Luiz (4′)<\/p>\n Chelsea: Pedro (35′, 45+6′, 64′), Palmer (55′)<\/p>\n Follow our Facebook page!Get more news and AVFC analysis here<\/a> Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link<\/a> and select \u2018Join Community\u2019 to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It’s a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.<\/p>\n We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click ‘Exit Group’. 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