Chelsea
Asmir Begovic – 6: Was rarely called upon over the 90 minutes in an easy day for the Bosnian.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7: Moved to right-back at the expense of the grossly out of form Branislav Ivanovic. Made a great block to deny Villa a path back into the game after a scramble from a set piece.
Kurt Zouma – 7: Looks far more comfortable alongside the vastly experienced John Terry, this could well be Mourinho’s favoured centre-back pairing if his skipper can return to the form he showed last season.
John Terry – 7: What could be considered a typically fuss-free performance from the Chelsea captain ,nearly looping a deep Willian set piece over Guzan in the second-half. This performance will have boosted his confidence.
Abdul Baba Rahman – 7: Took over Azpilicueta’s left-side. A good performance in a big game for the young Ghanaian who is still trying to make his way into the first team. He was tested more for pace when Adama Traore entered the fray but should be pleased with his Premier League debut.
Cesc Fabregas – 6: The 100-time capped Spaniard played the link-up role rather than playmaker. This may have been a move from Mourinho to help get Fabregas back into form and while he made no major errors against the Villans, only time will tell if it works.
Ramires – 6: Was industrious as per usual in the centre of the park, breaking up the opposition attacks before rebounding on the counter with pace.
Willian – 8: Alert enough to pounce following Guzan’s mistake for the opener. Has become Mourinho’s in-form player over the past month or so with everything generated his way as Chelsea poured forward without a cutting edge at the end. Rightly earned a rousing ovation from the Stamford Bridge faithful when substituted.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6: A big show of faith to start the 19-year-old from Jose Mourinho. He had some small, bright moments early before being replaced at halftime for the more experienced Matic.
Pedro Rodriguez – 6: Worked tirelessly up-and-down the left-flank throughout his 83 minutes on the park before being replaced by Eden Hazard. Struggled with his key passes and final ball a little though, as well as not displaying his typical drive and precision in the first-half.
Diego Costa – 7.5: Made Villa pay the ultimate price, tapping home Willian’s assist from seven-yards out after an ineffective first half-hour. Began the second-half as a menace and deflected the sealing goal home in the 54th minute, claims that it was his will fall on deaf ears though. His defensive pressure was also of a high standard.
Substitutes
Nemanja Matic – 6.5: Came on at halftime for Loftus-Cheek and looked to play with greater hunger than in his previous games.
Eden Hazard – N/A: A late cameo insured the Belgian will be fresh for a key Champions League game midweek.
Loic Remy – N/A:Replaced Willian with two minutes of added time remaining.
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