Enzo Fernandez against Villa was just as good as Chelsea’s “outstanding” 9/10 star.
Now, who predicted that one at the time? In the FA Cup, Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues produced a performance that very few, if anyone, believed they could, setting the stage for a primetime Chelsea meltdown.
The Argentine made three changes to the side that Wolverhampton Wanderers destroyed a few days prior, but based on their performance, one could assume that they were a completely different team.
Aston Villa away is currently one of the most difficult fixtures, but the Pensioners left as winners—at least for the time being—while Manchester City and Arsenal lost in less than a week.
The performance was extremely encouraging, and although Conor Gallagher opened the score before Nicolas Jackson doubled their lead, Chelsea’s mercurial World Cup winner Enzo Fernández deserves to be commended for his performance last night. The result alone won’t significantly alter the club’s season.
The numerical performance of Enzo Fernández
That performance was exactly what one would anticipate from a £107 million player, and it arrived at the perfect time for the Argentine wizard. Many stories, leaks, and rumors concerning his alleged dissatisfaction in west London have surfaced over the past few days; some even speculate that he may move in the summer.
Based on the former Benfica star’s celebration after his incredible free kick, it appears that those were only rumors. If the 23-year-old can continue to put on performances like that on a regular basis, the supporters will demand that he stay forever.
Given its obvious brilliance, his goal will undoubtedly make headlines, but his overall performance that evening was unbelievable—so much so that it was football.Bobby Vincent of London rated him a nine out of ten, calling him a “pleasure to watch a Villa Park.”
The football writer Amos Murphy once dubbed the midfield “monster” because of his ability to complete all five of his long balls, win three ground tackles, and maintain a 91% passing accuracy while accumulating 62 touches.
However, Malo Gusto, a Chelsea player who went from zero to hero in the span of a week, deserves just as much recognition for his incredible performance, which it truly was.
Malo Gusto’s numerical performance
After Sunday’s match against Wolves, it appeared inevitable that Gusto would be benched for last night’s match.
Ultimately, he gave up a penalty and received a 3/10 from Nizaar Kinsella of the Standard for “putting Chelsea in danger with his passing.”
But occasionally, Premier League managers really do have more insight than the supporters do, which is why Pochettino started the young Frenchman—and what a wise choice that was.
With the exception of the first two minutes or so, the former Lyon gem played the whole ninety-four minutes of the match and was dominant in both attack and defense.
London’s football team Vincent gave the 20-year-old a nine out of ten rating for the game, attributing his success to his early stop of Alex Moreno and his helper on Nicolas Jackson’s goal in the twenty-first minute.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, the full-back was “outstanding for Chelsea” last night, and judging by his stats, it’s difficult to disagree.
He received 73 touches—more than Enzo—in his 94 minutes of play, one assist, two clearances, one interception, one tackle, one crucial pass, and three victories from five ground duels—all while keeping an 89% passing accuracy.
