Chelsea 0-0 Aston Villa: Blues Player Ratings as they play out goalless draw | FA Cup Fourth Round 2023-24

Chelsea dominated for a decent portion of the game but failed to break the deadlock as they played a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday, January 26.

Following their big win over Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup, Mauricio Pochettino made three changes. Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher started, replacing Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Villa, meanwhile, returned after a long break. Two changes were made from their last game against Everton, with Matty Cash and Youri Tielemans coming in.

The visitors thought they'd opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Douglas Luiz turned the ball home from close range. However, VAR showed that the ball had hit his hand and disallowed the goal.

Chelsea slowly grew into the game, eventually dominating the first half. Madueke and Palmer forced Emi Martinez into some good saves as the Blues kept asking questions.

Palmer missed a good opportunity in the second half as the London side rued their poor composure in front of goal. But it was the visitors who finished strongly, forcing Djordje Petrovic into some good saves.

Both sides enjoyed some good moments but were unable to find the back of the net. The replay is set to take place in February. Here are Chelsea's player ratings.

Chelsea Player Ratings

Djordje Petrovic - 7.5/10

The young Serbian has stepped in impressively for the injured Robert Sanchez. While he did not have much to do in the first half, he was called into action multiple times in the second half, helping Chelsea keep a valuable clean sheet.

Alfie Gilchrist - 6.5/10

A solid performance from the youngster, who had to step into the lineup late after Levi Colwill's injury during the warmup.

Axel Disasi - 6.5/10

He did not have the impact he did against Middlesbrough, playing in a more natural, central role. However, he had a solid outing.

Thiago Silva - 7/10

As usual, a calm performance from Silva, vital in keeping a clean sheet.

Benoit Badiashile - 6/10

He struggled at times, playing in an unnatural left-back position.

Moises Caicedo - 7/10

One of the Ecuadorian's better performances in Chelsea colors. He was instrumental in the first half as Villa struggled to find their attacking rhythm. He also looked good on the ball. Caicedo finished the game with seven duels won, five recoveries and six passes into the final third.

Enzo Fernandez - 6.5/10

The Argentine midfielder started well but found it hard to get into the game later on.

Conor Gallagher - 6/10

The industrious Gallagher was played in a more attacking role against Villa. But he found it hard to make a difference, raising questions about whether Chelsea should play more natural options like Cole Palmer and Carney Chukwuemeka in that position.

Noni Madueke - 6.5/10

Another solid outing from the winger. He had the Villa left-back Alex Moreno in trouble multiple times but his finishing left a lot to desire.

Raheem Sterling - 6.5/10

Similar to the Blues performance, he was lively in the first half but quiet in the second.

Cole Palmer - 6.5/10

The usually calm and collected 'Cold Palmer' had an underwhelming night. While he was his usual threatening presence, he squandered two good chances to win the game for Chelsea.

Substitutes

Ben Chilwell - 6.5/10

Replaced Alfie Gilchrist around the hour mark and gained some playing time, coming back after a lengthy injury layoff. He looked decent down the left-hand flank.

Armando Broja, Mykhailo Mudryk and Carney Chukwuemeka - N/A

Came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to merit a rating.