No word from Unai Emery, who after Villa’s no-show may well be telling his players exactly how he sees it. But no matter! Peter Lansley’s verdict is in. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
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Mauricio Pochettino speaks to ITV. “It was one of the best, or maybe the best, performance of the season … it arrived at a very good moment for us … so happy … the way they played, I enjoy … we are a young team … to be solid and consistent is the most difficult thing as a young team … it’s always about finding the balance … it’s difficult to unite the characteristics of all the players … the idea of being a team … but today the team was in the middle, always ready to fight and compete … we need to show we are a team … I am so optimistic … it is a new project … people need to believe … today I was more relaxed than ever because I knew the team was going to perform … you know when the players are with you … the belief is there 200 percent … there are some noises but that is football!”
Chelsea vice-captain Ben Chilwell speaks to ITV. “It was exactly the reaction we needed … we delivered it … there was pressure going into the game … we thrived off that pressure … the confidence before in the changing room was the best I’ve seen it … everyone associated with Chelsea needed that result, not just the players and the manager.”
Conor Gallagher adds: “The boys were really determined … the last two performances weren’t good enough … we worked really hard and it was a good performance … we need to find that consistency … we have to keep working hard and sticking together as a team.”
Chelsea, under so much pressure after shipping four goals in consecutive defeats, were marvellous tonight. They dominated their hosts from the get-go, with Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson and player-of-the-match Enzo Fernández all on top of their game. Mauricio Pochettino was even able to send on Thiago Silva and mend some broken bridges. His side will host Leeds in a hotly anticipated fifth-round tie. Villa however didn’t bother to show up until injury time. Very disappointing. More wisps of mist envelop that 1957 victory.
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FULL TIME: Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea
Chelsea go through to the fifth round, where they’ll host Leeds United in a replay of the infamous 1970 final. Aston Villa’s wait for an eighth FA Cup goes on and on and on.
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90 min +4: Caicedo tries to chip Martinez from a tight angle on the left, but the keeper sticks out an arm to save one final indignity for Villa.
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90 min +3: Moreno crosses from the left. Iroegbunam rises highest and plants a header towards the bottom right. Petrovic gathers on the line. Where was this Aston Villa all evening?!
90 min +2: Gallagher tries to lob Martinez from 40 yards. The ball hits the crossbar, but the whistle had long gone for a foul.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea (Diaby 90+1)
A Villa corner from the left is worked back to Diaby, on the edge of the D. He sweeps a shot through a crowded box, past the despairing lunge of Petrovic, then off the base of the right-hand post and in.
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90 min: There will be four added minutes.
88 min: Bailey and Kamara are replaced by Iroegbunam and Zaniolo.
87 min: Badiashile is down now. The physio comes on, helps him up, and the pair wander off. The defender holds his groin with a grimace. Jackson also makes way. Gilchrist and Nkunku arrive on the scene.
85 min: Bailey crosses from the right. The ball hits Gallagher, who clears. But did it hit him on the arm? Bailey certainly thinks so. Neither referee nor VAR show any interest, though.
83 min: Caicedo is fine to continue, by the way. For a second it looked as though he’d be replaced by Nkunku, but that change didn’t happen in the end.
81 min: Some bridge-building as Mauricio Pochettino replaces Palmer with Thiago Silva. It’s already been a banner evening for “passionate Chelsea fan” Belle Silva, whose team are three to the good, and now things have got even better as her husband gets some gametime.
79 min: Caicedo goes down in the centre circle and on comes the physio. A pause in play.
78 min: End-to-end fun as Bailey dribbles into the Chelsea box down the left, only to misplace a pass towards nobody in particular when he should have shot. Instead, Chelsea counter, and Palmer has a dig that’s deflected and snaffled by Martinez.
77 min: Petrovic is booked for taking his sweet time over the restart.
76 min: Diaby and Bailey cause pandemonium down the right. Cash hoicks a cross to the far post. Moreno heads back across goal, the ball looping over the rooted keeper. If it drops below the post, it’s in, because nobody’s stopping it. But the ball clears the bar, just. As close as Villa have come. This is so much better, but it’s all too little, too late, surely.
74 min: The effervescent Madueke is replaced by Sterling.
73 min: Petrovic allows himself to be closed down by Watkins, but the blocked clearance falls to a blue shirt. Villa then try again, the ball dropping to Diaby just inside the box. Diaby attempts to cream a volley goalwards but can only slice wide left. This is Villa’s best spell by some considerable distance.
72 min: Villa make a double change, replacing McGinn and the almost invisible Tielemans – who scored the winner for Leicester in the final three years ago, it’s so easy to forget when he plays like he did tonight. Diaby and Ramsey come on in their stead.
71 min: Bailey has a wee dribble down the right and reaches the box, but there’s no space to shoot and no options in the middle. But then Villa try again, Cash reaching the byline and cutting back for McGinn, who attempts a first-time slapshot towards the bottom right. Disasi spreads himself to block what looked like a certain goal, and nothing comes of the resulting corner. Much better from Villa, though the bar is set so very low.
69 min: Chelsea stroke it around imperiously. They’ve earned the right to strut tonight.
67 min: Villa are almost completely static. A few players saving themselves for the Premier League visit of Manchester United on Sunday, perhaps. They’ll need to play a damn sight better than this if they’re not to suffer a third home defeat in a row.
65 min: McGinn twists on the edge of the D and sends a low shot wide left. He’s cleaned out by Caicedo after the fact, and wants a free kick, but he’s not getting one. McGinn livid.
64 min: Luiz swings a free kick into the box from the left. The flag goes up for offside and Lenglet takes an accidental whack upside the head, adding injury to insult. He’s OK to continue, though, after being hauled up off the floor. If Villa are going to launch an unlikely comeback, they can’t afford to waste precious minutes rolling around on the turf.
62 min: The Chelsea fans entertain themselves with a series of olés. Villa look a beaten docket, and are being given the runaround.
60 min: Madueke, who has been dangerous from the get-go, dribbles hard down the inside-right channel and aims a curler towards the bottom left. Deflected wide. The resulting corner is swung in by Chilwell and headed clear by Carlos. A fourth Chelsea goal looks much more likely than a Villa consolation right now.
59 min: A free kick for Villa out on the right. McGinn swings it in viciously. Carlos beats Badiashile to a header on the penalty spot, but can’t keep it on target. Decent delivery, though.
57 min: Replays suggest Tielemans may not have made much contact with Fernandez for the free kick, the player tripping himself up by kicking the turf instead. But here we are.
56 min: That was a sensational free kick. A celebration to match, as he removes his shirt and holds it up so everyone can see his name and number. Into the book he goes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-3 Chelsea (Fernandez 54)
Fernandez earned the free kick, and he’s determined to take the shot he was denied. He steps up and … curls an unstoppable shot over the wall and into the very top-left corner of the net! Martinez got fingers to it, but the shot was so perfectly placed, he couldn’t stop it. What a free kick! What a performance by Chelsea!
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52 min: Palmer dances in from the right and has a shot. Blocked. The home fans make a little noise now, and it’s not particularly complimentary. Villa are stuck in first gear. Chelsea come again, and there’s more groaning as Fernandez prepares to shoot from 25 yards only to be clipped by Tielemans. Free kick, just outside the D, a little left of centre.
51 min: Villa haven’t exactly come flying out of the blocks in this second half. The home fans remain pretty quiet as a result. The Chelsea section en fête.
49 min: Kamara is gently eased off the ball 30 yards from his own goal by Fernandez. The referee whistles for a free kick, pretty generously. Gallagher and Palmer were preparing to tear towards the goal. Villa grateful the whistler is in a sympathetic mood.
47 min: A fairly nondescript start to the half, and Chelsea are two minutes closer to the fifth round.
Chelsea get the second half underway. No changes.
HALF-TIME ENTERTAINMENT especially for Justin Kavanagh (42 min). It’s that aforementioned 1970 final! Relive the gory glory of Chelsea’s first FA Cup victory, 13 years after Villa’s last.
HALF TIME: Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea
… so with that late McGinn shot, Petrovic has now, at least, had his fingertips warmed slightly. But other than that, he’s had nowt to do. Chelsea – in particular Madueke, Jackson and Fernandez – have been excellent. Aston Villa have been a total non-event. It’s Chelsea v Leeds in the next round as things stand. Big 1970 final vibes ahoy!
45 min +2: Chilwell lets a throw slip through his hands. Foul throw. Villa break quickly down the right, and Watkins tees up McGinn on the edge of the D. McGinn’s rising drive is straight at Petrovic and tipped over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
45 min: There will be two added minutes.
44 min: Petrovic still hasn’t had a save to make.
42 min: Chelsea stroke it around in a controlled, controlling style. “So it’s looking like Chelsea v Leeds in the next round,” sighs Justin Kavanagh. “Those 1970 final flashbacks are happening again, Scott… The mud. The GBH assaults dubbed ‘tackles’ in seventies-speak. The mayhem. The extra-time Jack Charlton assist for the Chelsea winner by Webb. The Horror! The Horror! I’m going for a liedown.”
40 min: Lenglet has the opportunity to release Moreno down the left but doesn’t back himself to make the long pass. The crowd groan again as he loses the ball.
38 min: Gusto strides with determination down the left flank and draws a clumsy foul from Carlos, who goes into the book.
37 min: Tielemans shows some hitherto unseen bustle to win a corner down the left off Fernandez. McGinn’s low delivery evades everyone in a crowded six-yard box. It’s not been Villa’s night so far.
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35 min: Palmer wins another Chelsea corner down the right. Then some light relief for Villa fans, who enjoy Caicedo fresh-air swiping on the edge of the D.
34 min: A free kick for Villa out on the left. Luiz hoicks it in from distance. Chelsea clear their lines. Madueke tiptoes on the right touchline and barrels past a couple of half-hearted challenges before laying off to Palmer, who opens his body and whips a vicious shot towards the left-hand side of the net. Martinez parries well.
33 min: Villa can’t string anything together. A simple pass flies into the stand. The crowd roar in frustration. On the bench, Unai Emery sits and quietly seethes through clenched teeth.
31 min: Chelsea play it short, and back up the right flank. Chilwell cuts infield and sends a daisycutter wide right. Martinez had it covered. A third Chelsea goal looks much more likely than a Villa reviver right now.
30 min: Palmer’s low cross from the right is deflected behind for a corner. Chilwell swings it in. Lenglet half clears. Bailey attempts to counter but Gallagher slide-tackles to win the ball back. Too easily. Chelsea pile forward again and win another corner.
28 min: Kamara once again gives the ball away cheaply in midfield. Chilwell doesn’t make much of the gift, but the home crowd made their displeasure known there. It’s the delighted away contingent you can mainly hear, though. On that subject, here’s Joe Pearson: “You’d think Belle Silva, passionate Chelsea fan, would be happy with what she’s seen so far. Or not.”
26 min: Chilwell strokes a pass down the left for Jackson, who can’t quite dribble his way past Cash. Goal kick. For a split second, though, Villa were once again backpedaling all a-fluster.
25 min: Bailey improvises a delightful outside-of-foot wedge down the right to release Cash into space. But Cash miscontrols, runs the ball out for a goal kick, and the flag then goes up for offside anyway. Petrovic has yet to warm his hands.
23 min: It could easily be three. Moreno misjudges a simple bouncing ball down the Chelsea right, and instead of heading clear, he’s chasing back after Gusto, who is racing down the flank. The Villa defender is extremely fortunate that Gusto, upon reaching the box, misjudges his cutback allowing Lenglet to blooter clear. Villa are all over the shop.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea (Jackson 21)
This is a sensational finish! Madueke makes tracks down the right. He feeds Gusto on the outside. He whips an instant cross into the centre. Jackson, in space eight yards out, uses the pace of the ball to flash a header into the bottom left. Martinez again with no chance, and this is some start by a side under pressure!
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19 min: Madueke burns up the right flank, the most confident of dribbles. Lenglet backtracks in a panic. Madueke opens his body and lashes a shot across Martinez and wide of the left-hand post. A second Chelsea goal looks much more likely than a Villa equaliser right now.
17 min: More space for Jackson down the left. His looping cross is steered back across goal by Madueke, but there’s no pace on the ball and it’s an easy claim for Martinez. Villa, who looked bright during the very early exchanges, are a bit of a rabble right now. They’ve been properly rattled by that opening goal.
16 min: The visiting fans holler a chorus of Sloop John B. “We’re winning away / We’re winning away / How [word redacted by Family Website editor] must you be / We’re winning away.”
14 min: … Chelsea nearly make it two, streaming away on the break, Villa with too many men committed upfield for the corner. Villa breathe again as Gusto steers a lame cross from the left into Martinez’s arms.
13 min: Villa nearly respond instantly. A bit of pinball in the Chelsea box. Bailey has two shots parried by Petrovic. The hosts come again, and Watkins has a go from a tight-ish angle on the left. His rising drive is tipped over for a corner, from which …
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Chelsea (Gallagher 11)
They’ve settled all right! Kamara gives up possession cheaply in midfield. Jackson romps down the left and crosses for Madueke, who cushions a pass into Gallagher’s path. Gallagher rushes into the box and slams into the top left. Martinez rooted to the spot with no chance!
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10 min: Chelsea have settled after a ropey start.
8 min: Carlos only half-clears the corner. Jackson returns the ball into the mixer. Badiashile heads goalwards, the ball pings off his team-mate Fernandez, and into the arms of Martinez. Badiashile should have scored.
7 min: Fernandez attempts to spin Bailey out on the left. He doesn’t quite succeed, but does win the first corner of the evening. Chilwell to take.
6 min: … and so having said that, they put their first attack together, Madueke making ground down the right and crossing low for Palmer, who attempts to shuttle the ball on for Gallagher but fails. Better from Chelsea.
5 min: Villa stroke it around the back in a patient way. Chelsea have hardly had a touch.
3 min: Cash, out on the right, floats a cross towards Moreno at the far stick. Moreno, all alone in acres, attempts to guide his header across goal to tee up Watkins, instead of going for it himself. Wrong choice. That was a big chance that fell to the wrong player from Villa’s perspective.
1 min: McGinn makes trouble down the left but can’t find Tielemans in the middle with his dinked cross. Chelsea struggle to clear the ball.
Villa get the game underway. A fine atmosphere. “Nice pyro during the walkout!” writes Joe Pearson. Hope the match is as fiery.”
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The big screen flashes up a picture in memory of Ian Lavender, the Dad’s Army star who passed away earlier this week. Lavender was a huge Aston Villa fan … and the famous claret and blue scarf Private Pike wore in the series was very much the actor’s choice. He took the garment to Villa Park in 2014 to “christen it. I sat quietly wearing it and nobody really noticed.” Villa were beaten 2-1 by Fulham. Anyway, the teams are out, and we’ll be off in a minute.
Unai Emery’s turn to talk to ITV, and it’s a much less spiky affair. “Good evening … we are very excited, very motivated … we have been successful for a long time at Villa Park … Chelsea have lost their last two matches but they have a very good coach and very good players … it is going to be very difficult … we are ready to play one very tough match.”
Mauricio Pochettino speaks to ITV, and is asked why Thiago Silva isn’t in the starting XI. “Er, why the question? … I have other players also … I am professional, I am a professional coach, and I pick my players because of performance and balance … I understand the question but I think, you know … I want to be calm … I need to be professional, I am always professional, I am going to pick the decision because of the professional side.”
“It’s based on that and nothing else?”
“My answer was clear, no?”
It’s time to change. If you wait any longer it will be too late 💙💙
— Belle Silva (@bellesilva) February 4, 2024
I'm sorry that my personal outburst as a passionate Chelsea fan has caused such an impact. I'm passionate about the team, I thrive on victories and I'm saddened by defeats.
— Belle Silva (@bellesilva) February 7, 2024
We all want the same thing, a winning team, come on Chelsea!!💙💙💙
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Another historical oddity. Chelsea are the last London club left in this year’s competition. If they get knocked out tonight, it’ll be the first time no Londoners have featured in the fifth round since 1902.
These two grand clubs have won the famous old pot 15 times between them. The distribution is a bit odd, though. Aston Villa lifted the trophy in 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920 and 1957, at which point Chelsea were still stuck on zero and popular entertainers such as Norman ‘A Song, A Smile and A Piano’ Long could get away with satire like this …
… but while a pigeon has yet to hatch a guinea pig and blame it on the cat, Chelsea have since “went and won the fi-i-nal”. Eight times, in fact: 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2018. Villa are still stuck on seven. A notable shift in momentum, it’s fair to say.
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Aston Villa make two changes to the starting XI selected for the original tie at Stamford Bridge 12 days ago. Diego Carlos and Leon Bailey come in for Moussa Diaby, who drops to the bench, and Ezri Konsa, who has a knee injury.
Chelsea make three changes to their starting line-up from that match. Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto and Nicolas Jackson replace Thiago Silva, Alfie Gilchrist and Raheem Sterling, all of whom drop to the bench.
The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Diego Carlos, Lenglet, Alex Moreno, Kamara, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Tielemans, Bailey, Watkins.
Subs: Torres, Chambers, Diaby, Zaniolo, Olsen, Ramsey, Iroegbunam, Wright, Kellyman.
Chelsea: Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Chilwell, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Gallagher, Madueke, Jackson.
Subs: Thiago Silva, Sterling, Mudryk, Bettinelli, Chukwuemeka, Nkunku, Gilchrist, Bergstrom, Samuels-Smith.
Referee: Thomas Bramall (Sheffield).
Representing Aston Villa tonight! 👊 pic.twitter.com/uAZa3mmM40
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 7, 2024
Chelsea tonight. 🫡@ParimatchUK | #CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/1igUGzwOeh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 7, 2024
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Preamble
It’s a rerun of the 2000 final. Whatever happens, tonight’s game won’t be as bad as that thundering non-event. But otherwise, good luck calling it. Aston Villa have won two of their last three against Chelsea and drawn the other; Chelsea have won five of their last six at Villa Park. So it’s swings and roundabouts. Kick off is at 8pm GMT and we’ll have extra time and penalties if necessary. It’s on!
