Last Updated: December 29, 2020 5:28 pm
Chelsea fail to win again
Chelsea welcomed Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Monday evening, aiming to get their season back on track.
The Blues headed into the clash having lost three of their prior four league outings.
This, in turn, saw Frank Lampard’s men slip away from the top-four race.
As such, a win over Villa last night was imperative. Dean Smith’s outfit, though, have enjoyed a fine start to the campaign, and unsurprisingly proved no pushovers.
Olivier Giroud fired Chelsea into the lead with 34 minutes on the clock.
However, Anwar El-Ghazi drew the visitors level shortly after the break, with Chelsea having been unable to carve out an all important 2nd.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: (l – r) Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante,Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta and Edouard Mendy of Chelsea appeal to to match referee, Stuart Attwell after Aston Villa’s first goal scored by Anwar El Ghazi (Not pictured) during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on December 28, 2020 in London, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Lampard highlights Ziyech importance
Their latest disappointing result leaves Chelsea down in 6th spot in the Premier League table, with games set to continue coming thick and fast over the winter period.
Following his side’s draw with Villa, meanwhile, Frank Lampard was drawn on Hakim Ziyech.
The Moroccan has been out of action for several weeks now, which has directly coincided with Chelsea’s dip in form.
In fact, Ziyech has not tasted defeat in any of his 12 outings in a Chelsea shirt, highlighting his evident importance.
And Lampard is one who appears fully aware of just how crucial the former Ajax man is to the Blues’ cause. When drawn on Chelsea’s struggles for creativity since Ziyech’s injury, the English tactician revealed his opinion that it is ‘not a coincidence’, explaining:
“Not a coincidence. We can’t rely completely on him. He was very effective of us in terms of creation and goals.
“It helped, we were very fluid until he got injured. We want him back. There’s a possiblity he could be fit for [Sunday’s game against] Manchester City if it goes ahead. He’s close.”
Quotes via Goal.
See also: Manchester United vs Wolves betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions & odds
Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions & odds
This article was edited by Conor Laird.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Liverpool FC | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| 2 | Leicester City FC | 16 | 9 | 29 |
| 3 | Everton FC | 15 | 7 | 29 |
| 4 | Manchester United FC | 14 | 7 | 27 |
| 5 | Aston Villa FC | 14 | 14 | 26 |
| 6 | Chelsea FC | 16 | 13 | 26 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 15 | 11 | 26 |
| 8 | Manchester City FC | 14 | 9 | 26 |
| 9 | Southampton FC | 15 | 6 | 25 |
| 10 | West Ham United FC | 15 | 2 | 22 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 15 | -5 | 21 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 15 | -5 | 20 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 16 | -9 | 19 |
| 14 | Newcastle United FC | 14 | -7 | 18 |
| 15 | Arsenal FC | 15 | -4 | 17 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 15 | -6 | 13 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 14 | -12 | 13 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 15 | -10 | 11 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 15 | -19 | 8 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 15 | -18 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 5 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| El Ghazi, Anwar | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 4 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 3 |
| Berge, Sander | Sheffield United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 4 |
| Mendy, Nampalys | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 3 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 4 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 3 |
Source: 101greatgoals.com
