Fernandez’s resurgence continues: Five things we learned from Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa | OneFootball

Cole Palmer scored and set one up as Chelsea defeated Aston Villa 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer’s curling effort from outside the penalty area in the second half rounded off a convincing victory for Enzo Maresca’s men. Nicolas Jackson had opened the scoring on seven minutes, firing in off the post from Marc Cucurella’s cross before Palmer fed Enzo Fernandez to finish low into the bottom corner to make it two.

Aston Villa had no answers to their hosts and they drop to 12th, with their winless run extending to eight games in all competitions.

Here are five things we learned from the match…

Fernandez’s resurgence continues

Maresca appears to have unlocked the very best of Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine international has struggled for form and consistency since his move to Stamford Bridge and had lost his place to Romeo Lavia for much of this season. But in the last couple of weeks, Fernandez has looked a player reborn, finally adding goals and assists to his game, scoring the second against Villa witha superbly taken finish into the bottom corner from Cole Palmer’s pass. A captain’s performance, and Maresca showed he can fit him, Caicedo and Lavia into the same side.

Villa look far from their levels of last season

In the first half Aston Villa were all over the place. Unai Emery’s men were powerless to stop the constant wave of Chelsea attacks and had no answer for Chelsea. They were sloppy too, with Emiliano Martinez conceding an indirect freekick after picking up Pau Torres’ back pass before almost gifting Nicolas Jackson a goal after passing the ball straight to the Senegalese international. Villa were so impressive last season but have struggled of late and have been making uncharacteristic mistakes.

Caicedo beginning to look like one of the league’s best midfielders

Everything is going great for Moises Caicedo. After an underwhelming start with the Blues, the Ecuadorian has come on leaps and bounds this campaign under Maresca. His athletic and defensive attributes have improved massively and he is a vital cog in the Blues midfield. Playing in a hybrid role today, shifting to right back when his side were out of possession and more central when they did have the ball, he showed his versatility and tactical intelligence.

Chelsea’s freshness a clear advantage

Aston Villa and Emery are going through a very rough patch. After hitting the lofty heights of fourth place last season, the Villains have struggled to replicate their brilliant form from last campaign, and look to be finding the additional workload of the newly expanded Champions League difficult. Emery made only two changes to the side which drew 0-0 with Juventus on Wednesday, while only Jadon Sancho kept his place in the Chelsea team from Thursday’s Conference League win over Heidenheim. The difference in energy was clear to see on the pitch.

Cole Palmer the best player in the Premier League?

There are not enough superlatives that can explain how good Cole Palmer is. The England international continued his excellent form by picking up yet another goal and assist, with this his eighth Premier League goal of the campaign, a wonderful bending effort that nestled into the top corner. Eight goals and six assists in the league so far and with the 22-year-old being rested in the Conference League, there is no suggestion this form will slow down.