Chelsea and Villa fail to land knockout blow

CUTTING EDGE MISSING: Aston Villa's Matty Cash reacts after missing a chance. Pic: Zac Goodwin, PA Wire.

Chelsea 0 Aston Villa 0 

Not the stalest of stalemates by any means, but this was a clash of two Premier League heavyweights that never seemed likely to end with a knockout. 

That it went the distance was thanks to a combination of good goalkeeping, especially from Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, and a shortage of quality finishers on both sides.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side romped past Middlesbrough of the Championship 6-1 on Tuesday in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final but found Aston Villa, fourth in the Premier League and 12 points better off than ninth-placed Chelsea, a predictably sterner test.

Villa are now unbeaten in their past three visits to Stamford Bridge after winning the last two Premier League matches between the teams, but they never looked likely to find the cutting edge here to make it a hat-trick of victories in west London.

Strong starting elevens showed that both clubs were taking the competition seriously. 

Villa made only two changes to the side that had drawn 0-0 away to Everton, bringing back Matty Cash and Youri Tielemans in place of Diego Carlos and Leon Bailey.

Chelsea originally made just three changes to the team that had overrun Boro, including benching Armando Broja the day after Pochettino had compared him to Harry Kane. But an injury to Levi Colwill in the warmup gave Alfie Gilchrist an unexpected start at right back.

Gilchrist played an unknowing part as Villa seemed to have taken the lead after 12 minutes. Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic had made a good save to send a header from Youri Tielemans over the crossbar. 

Villa played the corner to Moussa Diaby and Gilchrist’s attempt to block his shot only sent the ball looping into the net off Douglas Luiz with Petrovic hopelessly wrong-footed. However, VAR ruled that the ball had struck the Villa man’s hand.

Encouraged by their let-off, Chelsea swept into the attack and Emiliano Martinez had to be alert to save from Noni Madueke after Cole Palmer had found him with a pass out to the right. 

And it was Martinez to the rescue again when Clement Lenglet inexplicably passed the ball square and straight to Palmer 20 yards out. 

Next, the Argentina goalkeeper was forced to rush from his penalty area to kick the ball away when Raheem Sterling was sent through.

Sterling and Palmer then combined to work the ball low across the Villa six-yard box, where their left-back Alex Moreno, under pressure from Madueke, sent it towards his own goal and was relieved to see it rebound off Martinez’ midriff.

Unai Emery spent the final seconds of half-time giving instructions to Ollie Watkins, who had been largely anonymous thus far, but his words had no visible immediate effect. 

The second half opened as the first had finished, with Chelsea on the attack, and Palmer volleyed wide through a crowd after Connor Gallagher’s deflected cross had dropped obligingly onto his left foot.

Villa, though, did begin to mount some attacks but were almost sabotaged at the other end by Martinez, of all people. 

His attempt at a quick forward pass hit Palmer 20 yards out, only for the Chelsea forward to miskick completely with the goal at his mercy and only Martinez to beat.

Matty Cash sent Petrovic sprawling with a left-foot shot but Martinez had to save his side again with a block tackle on Gallagher after Kamara’s awkward backpass.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrovic 6; Gilchrist 6 (Chilwell 65, 6), Disasi 6, Silva 7, Badiashile 6; Caicedo 6, Fernandez 6 (Chukwuemeka 89); Madueke 7 (Mudryk 77), Gallagher 6, Sterling 7 (Broja 77); Palmer 7.

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez 8; Cash 6 (Diego Carlos 82), Konsa 6, Lenglet 5, Moreno 5; McGinn 7, Tielemans 6 Zaniolo 82), Kamara 6; Douglas Luiz 6, Watkins 5, Diaby 6 (Bailey 90).

Referee: Robert Jones 6.