There were some much better performances in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last night compared to on Tuesday.
Chelsea went into the game on the back of a humiliating 5-0 defeat against Arsenal, where every player in blue performed poorly.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s men were unable to bounce back with a win in their game versus Villa, but supporters will be much happier with the individual performances they saw on the night compared to Tuesday.
Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher were the goalscorers at Villa Park, helping Chelsea to leave with a point after going 2-0 down.
Axel Disasi almost won the Blues the game when he scored a header deep into stoppage time, but it was disallowed by the VAR because of a foul in the build-up.
Glenn Hoddle praises Chelsea star after Aston Villa draw
Villa did extremely well to neutralise the likes of Madueke and Cole Palmer in the first half.
However, they were more alive in the second 45 minutes, especially the former.
Following the game, Glenn Hoddle praised Madueke and has now demanded to see more of the same from him.
Speaking on TNT Sports (28/04/2024 at 22:25), the former England manager said: “I thought he was brilliant. I thought he held the width a little bit more than he did in the first half. What a finish that is! That’s what Palmer has been doing all season, just stroking the ball into the corners of the net, and the young man, he is 21 years of age, that’s a beautiful finish.
“But now, if I am the manager, I am saying to him, ‘You have shown what you can do, you can do that time and time again’. In the second half he had the full-back on toast.”
Noni Madueke’s stats versus Aston Villa
That was probably one of Madueke’s best performances in a Chelsea shirt.
The 22-year-old was a huge threat going forward, particularly in the second half.
As per WhoScored, Madueke completed six dribbles on the night, more than any other player.
The England U21 international also registered four shots. Only Palmer (six) took more.
It was a performance that Madueke really needed after his antics in Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City and 6-0 win against Everton. In those matches, the former PSV Eindhoven man fought over a penalty and was seen laughing after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup.
