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#3 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel had the luxury of calling Callum Hudson-Odoi into action from the start on Sunday. Despite not being able to participate in the last two matches due to COVID-19, the 21-year-old looked sharp as ever and kept Villa on their toes.
Hudson-Odoi used his pace well to get past opposition defenders and had the vision to pick out his teammates in space. He also won Chelsea their first penalty of the match in the 33rd minute.
The Englishman’s movement was too much to handle for Matty Cash as the right-back ended up bringing the player down inside the box. Jorginho stepped up and converted the penalty with ease.
Hudson-Odoi then helped Romelu Lukaku find the back of the net in the second half. His peach of a cross found the Belgian in space, allowing Lukaku to head home in style.
#2 Jorginho
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho enjoyed an impressive outing against Aston Villa, especially in the second half. The Italy international initially struggled to find his footing thanks to Villa’s high-intensity football, but found his mojo as the match wore on.
His passing was not particularly inventive as he chose to stick to the basics and keep the game moving. Three of Jorginho’s four attempted long balls reached their target, he created one big chance and won six of his eight duels.
Most importantly, he was as cool as a cucumber when it mattered and expertly put away two penalties to help Chelsea win the game.
Thanks to Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho got the first spot-kick in the 34th minute. He hit it confidently, giving Villa stopper Emiliano Martinez no chance. Jorginho’s second, which came in the 93rd minute, was even more precise.
He beat Martinez’s fingertips and found the bottom right-hand corner to seal three points for the west London outfit.
#1 Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea ace Romelu Lukaku finally returned to the fold on Sunday night and showed what the Blues were missing up top.
Introduced in place of Chalobah, Lukaku immediately gave Chelsea direction in attack. Since his introduction, almost every long-ball was being aimed at him and the big Belgian rarely failed to control them.
Ten minutes after coming on, Hudson-Odoi’s impeccable cross found Lukaku inside the box. The centre-forward headed the ball into the top corner to put Chelsea in front.
Lukaku became even more menacing after scoring the goal. He regularly barged into the Villa box and ultimately drew a penalty in added time. Jorginho stepped up for the second time on the night and completed his brace to keep Villa from springing any surprises at the death.
