Ranking Chelsea's 5 best players against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup

#3 - Timo Werner

Timo Werner gave Chelsea the lead in the second half

Chelsea star Timo Werner has been low on confidence lately and desperately needed a boost. The Aston Villa game was the perfect opportunity for the striker to score a goal, and he did exactly that.

The former RB Leipzig star broke the deadlock early in the second half to hand Chelsea the lead. He was all over Aston Villa's defence throughout the game, and Thomas Tuchel should be pleased with his performance.

The forward looked confident when he received the ball and did not hold back. He tried to have a go at the goal at every opportunity and also put in some difficult passes in the game.

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#2 - Kepa Arrizabalaga

Kepa Arrizabalaga made a crucial penalty save against Aston Villa

Another Chelsea star who needed a confidence boost was Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Spaniard has had a tough time in the last 12-15 months, and things are slowly changing for him.

Kepa Arrizabalaga made two crucial penalty saves in the UEFA Super Cup last month. Last night, he made another save to help Chelsea reach the next round of the Carabao Cup.

The best news for Chelsea is that the Spaniard looks ready to challenge Edouard Mendy for the #1 spot. Things could swing in his favour if he manages to impress when the Senegal star goes away for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Kepa made five saves against Aston Villa on Wednesday night, and they helped Chelsea a lot.

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#1 - Reece James

Chelsea star Reece James put in a man-of-the-match performance against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup

Reece James is fighting for a place in Chelsea's starting XI as Thomas Tuchel has opted for Cesar Azpilicueta in most games.

Last night's performance has shown the German manager that he has some tough decisions to make, as the young Englishman looks ready to challenge for his place.

Not only did James get an assist for the goal, but he was also able to link well with Callum Hudson-Odoi and keep the Chelsea attack going. Moreover, he looked solid at the back and was not letting Aston Villa have a lot of space down their left wing.

Ashley Young tried to use his experience to get behind James, but the young Chelsea star stood his ground and was on top of his game.

James was, without a doubt, the man of the match for the Blues last night, with Kepa Arrizabalaga close behind.