Aston Villa 3
Diaby 90+1
Chelsea 1
WHAT a difference four days makes. Derided after Saturday's 4-2 home defeat by Wolves, Chelsea suddenly produced their most convincing display of the season to offer hope that Project Pochettino will come good.
A young side with an average age of just 22.8 blew Aston Villa away to reach the FA Cup fifth round and send a strong message that they are still playing for their manager.
Mauricio Pochettino has been under intense scrutiny, but this was a night when he got the big calls right.
Thiago Silva was dropped after his wife, Belle, called for change at Chelsea. In his absence, Benoit Badiashile (right) partnered Axel Disasi in central defence, and the Blues looked much more secure at the back. On this evidence, it will be hard for Silva to regain his place in the team.
With a faster backline, Chelsea could play higher up the pitch and cause Villa problems with their press. Two attacking full-backs - Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto - got the balance right between going forward and digging in defensively.
This story is from the February 08, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 08, 2024 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Actor Millie Bobby Brown romances in Hyde Park, feasts at Sheesh and buys thelot at Harrods
Interview with Actor Millie Bobby Brown
How will Arteta manage without influential Edu?
Arsenal need smooth transition between eras just like Man City
"I had no one in Manchester apart from my PlayStation"
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a young man rated among the country's most promising footballers when Manchester United came calling in the summer of 2019.
The battle for the soul of Soho
Inside the war between London's porn baron family and the council they say is killing the vibe
At the table: Sad steaks seasoned with despair
Fetch the smelling salts, you're in for a shock: A Restaurant Critic Hates a Famously Terrible Restaurant. Low-hanging fruit? Perhaps.
Class portrait Nobody else writes about middle England so acutely
Tessa Hadley's first novella depicts women in refreshing ways
How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world
I think the most obscure place I've had a listener email from so far was probably a guy in the Yukon,\" laughs Flo Dill, the host of NTS Radio's flagship morning show.
Was it the chattering classes who lost it?
I'm no Trump fan but I'm glad his insufferable opponents failed
Halloween's grotesque charade is never over in the United States
We are witnessing a prolonged farce that is consuming its talents and might
This is the week America waged a war on woke and won
BLM, Latinx, pronouns, critical race theory, defunding the police it’s over
