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Chelsea have gone three straight Premier League games without a win or a goal scored following their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, September 24.
The Blues started strong and attacked from the get-go. Inside the opening 60 seconds, Mykhaylo Mudryk floated a lovely ball over the Villa defense to find Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine midfielder was adjudged to have just strayed offside before receiving the ball.
Pau Torres almost put his team in trouble when his pass was intercepted by Mudryk. However, the Chelsea attacker couldn't get it under control properly and the chance went begging.
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It was end-to-end stuff as a minute after Robert Sanchez pulled off a brilliant save to deny a fine volley from Lucas Digne. Emi Martinez then did well one-on-one against Nickolas Jackson.
The second half was as frantic as the first, with both teams looking for the elusive breakthrough. Close to the hour mark, Mauricio Pochettino's men were down to ten men as Malo Gusto was given his marching orders for a poorly timed tackle on Digne.
The visitors took the lead in the 73rd minute when Ollie Watkins rounded off a good counter-attack by squeezing the ball past Sanchez's legs from a tight angle. Despite their best efforts and a slew of substitutions, the Blues could not find an equalizer.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Chelsea:
Robert Sanchez - 6/10
Robert Sanchez made a handful of good saves in the match, notably against Lucas Digne and Nicolo Zaniolo. He, however, could've done better for Ollie Watkins' goal.
Malo Gusto - 3/10
Malo Gusto provided Chelsea with a good outlet on the right wing. His evening, however, was cut short after he was given his marching orders for going in with his studs up on Lucas Digne.
Axel Disasi - 6/10
Axel Disasi had the ball in the back of the net in the first half, but the goal was rightfully chalked out for offside. He did well against Villa, initially from a central position and later as a right back.
Thiago Silva - 5/10
Thiago Silva looked solid defensively but his good work was undone when he lost the ball in the build-up to Aston Villa's goal.
Levi Colwill - 6/10
Levi Colwill continued to play as a left-back. The youngster did his best to provide Chelsea with an attacking outlet out wide, before taking up a central role following Malo Gusto's red card.
He did well to block Ollie Watkins' shot but was unfortunate with the deflection as the Villa striker was quickest to react and breach Robert Sanchez's defenses.
Conor Gallagher - 5/10
Conor Gallagher had a few noteworthy moments but was guilty of leaving space in the midfield many times. He works best higher up the pitch. But a combination of injuries and tactics has seen him take a more defensive role, which isn't getting the best out of him
Moises Caicedo - 6/10
Moises Caicedo did well on his return from injury and registered Chelsea's first shot on target at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez - 6/10
Enzo Fernandez had the chance to put the Blues ahead in the first half. But he smashed the ball over the bar despite having time to take a touch and test the goalkeeper. The Argentine midfielder did his best to spur his team on until getting substituted just past the hour mark.
Raheem Sterling - 6/10
Raheem Sterling was a big threat for Villa down the right wing. However, his final product was lacking on a night his team looked to get back into the game with a man light.
Mykhaylo Mudryk - 5/10
Mykhaylo Mudryk is yet to produce a performance to justify his price tag of €100 million and he didn't do anything against Villa to change critics' views.
He remained a threat whenever he found pace behind the Villa defense, which was far and few between. Malo Gusto's red card meant his evening ended early as Mauricio Pochettino looked to restore numbers in defense.
Nicholas Jackson - 5/10
Nicholas Jackson endured a frustrating evening against Villa, who held a high line and kept check on his runs into midfield to receive the ball deep. He picked up a fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will miss Chelsea's next match.
Ratings of Chelsea substitutes
Ben Chilwell - 5/10
Ben Chilwell replaced Mudryk just past the hour mark and provided some attacking outlet on the left wing.
Lesley Ugochukwu - 4/10
Lesley Ugochukwu replaced Nicolas Jackson with 20 minutes left and did not make any impact on the proceedings.
Cole Palmer - 5/10
Cole Palmer replaced Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea chased an equalizer. He produced a nice ball to Sterling, which the winger squandered. He also found Disasi with a good pass, but the defender smashed it well off target.
Armando Broja - NA/10
Armando Broja replaced Moises Caicedo with a little more than 10 minutes left in the match and didn't have time to make a meaningful contribution.
