Chelsea cemented their place in the FA Cup fifth round by cruising to an unexpected 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
There was plenty of negativity ahead of the Blues’ visit to Villa Park for Wednesday night’s cup replay, given they were dispatched 4-2 by Wolves at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, and the fact the Midlanders – fourth in the Premier League compared to Chelsea who are slumped in 11th – have one of the best home records in the country. But the visitors took the lead just 11 minutes in thanks to quality build-up play and an emphatic Conor Gallagher finish.
Nicolas Jackson made it 2-0 some 10 minutes later before Enzo Fernandez’s majestic free-kick put the game out of reach for Unai Emery’s men, with Moussa Diaby snatching nothing more than a consolation in stoppage time. It marked a dominant and hugely important performance, which may have earned under-fire manager Mauricio Pochettino some time – and Daily Star Sport takes a look at the four things he got right.
At a time where his authority is constantly being questioned, none could have been as damaging to Pochettino as veteran defender Thiago Silva’s wife seemingly calling for his sacking on social media after the 4-2 defeat to Wolves on Sunday.
The Argentine showed integrity by dropping the Brazilian stalwart to the bench for the trip to Villa Park. The impact of such a bold call would have certainly had positive repercussions, allowing the manager to stamp his authority and prevent one rotten egg from influencing others within the camp.
The Argentine showed integrity by dropping the Brazilian stalwart to the bench for the trip to Villa Park. The impact of such a bold call would have certainly had positive repercussions, allowing the manager to stamp his authority and prevent one rotten egg from influencing others within the camp.
Dropping Thiago Silva… again
The decision to drop Silva also had a hugely positive impact on Chelsea’s tactics. With the 39-year-old left out in favour of a youthful backline including Frenchmen Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile, Chelsea were able to adopt a higher line than the majority of their games this season.
That allowed them to press more effectively without as much distance in-between their lines. Perhaps Pochettino has stumbled upon a winning formula for the remainder of the season.
Trusting youth
Another veteran – Raheem Sterling – was also left on the bench to start with. And Chelsea’s forward play looked revitalised in contrast to much of the season before.
Jackson scored a header and set up the opener, while Noni Madueke displayed exactly the kind of energy the Blues have missed on the flank this term. The latter showed it may be time to succeed Sterling permanently with a lung-busting first half run to get his team up the field and repeatedly looked a threat.
No respite
Arguably the most important minutes of Pochettino’s Blues career to date followed the half-time interval, with many unsure of which Chelsea side they would see in the second half. Their fears were put to bed nine minutes later thanks to Enzo’s world class strike – but also thanks to the positive way in which the west Londoners came out in the second half.
Rather than sitting back and inviting pressure, Pochettino opted to take a risk by continuing on the front foot despite Villa’s obvious counter-attacking threat. That pressure meant they could extend their lead even further.
