Player ratings : Graham Potter suffers boo’s from Stamford Bridge crowd in shocking home loss to Aston Villa

Chelsea have slipped into the bottom half of the table after a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. Ollie Watkins and John McGinn’s goals gained the away side all three points and saw them leapfrog Chelsea in the Premier League table.

The Blues were guilty of missing countless chances, with Mykhailo Mudryk squandering the two easiest of the bunch.

Kepa Arrizabalaga- 6/10

The Spaniard did not cover himself in glory for Watkins’ opener when he was caught in no man’s land and easily lobbed. He could, however, do nothing about McGinn’s long-range belter which doubled Villa’s advantage. Kepa did well to prevent Chelsea from suffering further humiliation, denying Watkins after Reece James’ weak pass was intercepted inside the box.

Reece James- 6/10

Playing Reece James at centre-back limits his attacking capability to almost nothing. The Englishman did make a big tackle early on to deny Jacob Ramsey. He did play a terrible under-hit pass near full-time that could have resulted in a third Villa goal.

Kalidou Koulibaly- 5/10

Although Marc Cucurella was certainly at fault for Chelsea’s first goal conceded, Koulibaly did not come off looking well from it. It seems like just another example of a lack of communication between two defenders who have been majorly inconsistent this season. The Senegalese defender did, however, make two important tackles to prevent Ramsey finding the net.

Marc Cucurella- 4/10

An absolutely bizarre piece of defending from the Spaniard cost Chelsea their first goal of the game. Cucurella headed a ball over Koulibaly and straight into the path of Ollie Watkins who had a simple finish. The 24-year-old had a good chance in the second half to draw a goal back but blasted his shot far over the bar.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek- 5/10

A slightly sloppy performance from Loftus-Cheek today, with the Englishman being caught in possession on a few occasions. Going forward the makeshift right-wing back struggled to have an impact, often sending in hopeful crosses without an exact target.

Ben Chilwell- 7/10

A disappointing game for Chilwell who, but for the post and a dubious refereeing decision, could have ended the game with two goals. The Englishman did brilliantly inside the area to squeeze a shot in from a tight angle that cannoned off the woodwork. At the end of the first half, he headed into the net only for the referee to rule out his strike due to a ‘push’ as he jumped for the ball.

Enzo Fernández- 7/10

Despite missing an early big opportunity when his close-range header whistled past the post, Fernández once again impressed for the Blues. His composure on the ball was fantastic and his passing was immaculate. The Argentine played 11 accurate long balls and made five key passes.

Mateo Kovačić- 5/10

A hat-trick of skewed shots summed up the Croatians game, who earlier in the week scored twice in one half for his national team. He was booked early in the game for a cynical foul and from there failed to have much impact before he was substituted.

Mykhailo Mudryk- 3/10

Two glaring chances missed by Mudryk cost his side today. The Ukrainian first did really well to snatch a ball in the Villa box, but then selfishly did not square it to Havertz who had an open goal. His shot was instead saved. The second chance was an even bigger one. Mudryk burst through Villa’s defence only to strike a pathetic shot that was easily saved. He was subbed off early in the second half.

Kai Havertz- 5/10

The German’s lack of clinical finishing was once again on display today. Havertz managed four shots but they were all comfortably dealt with by Emi Martinez. His link-up play was good today but in the final third where he was desperately needed, he failed to produce the goods.

João Félix- 6/10

The best way to describe Félix today is to compare him to a firework that never actually goes off. The Portuguese forward looked brilliant driving forward until it came to his final product, which was seemingly always lacking. He ruined a good Chelsea attack by taking too long to play a pass and missed a good chance to score when the ball fell at his feet inside the six-yard box, scuffing his shot wide.

Subs

N’Golo Kante- 7/10

The only positive of today was seeing N’Golo Kante back on the pitch for Chelsea. The Frenchman looked like his best self and was all over the pitch in his 30-minute cameo. He did drag wide a massive chance to get a goal back for Chelsea.

Noni Madueke- 5/10

A slightly erratic time on the pitch for Madueke, who never seemed comfortable with the ball at his feet. He was shoved onto the pitch as a makeshift right-wing back and didn’t seem to know exactly where he should have been on the pitch. He curled his best chance wide.

Connor Gallagher- N/A

Christian Pulisic- N/A

Graham Potter- 3/10

Disaster stations once again for Graham Potter, who oversaw Chelsea fall into the bottom half of the table today. The boos that rang around Stamford Bridge at full time tells you all you need to know about the public opinion of the Chelsea boss. He needs to find a way to make Chelsea score, with a team that looks like they are completely incapable of finding the back of the net.

Twitter- @Kieranroy1