Christian Pulisic: Player Rating and Performance v Aston Villa

Christian Pulisic came off the bench and made an immediate impact as his performance helped Chelsea turn a 1-0 score into a 2-1 victory against Aston Villa.

What was Pulisic's overall display like?

📷 Match Snapshot

The American would have been disappointed to be starting on the bench as Frank Lampard opted for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, starting his first league game of the season, on the left of the attack.

RLC's impact was minimal, however, prompting Lampard to make the change on 55 minutes, bringing him into the action.

⚽ ⏱️ 60' And Pulisic made an instant impact, bursting in at the back post to meet a Cesar Azpilicueta cross to hit down into the ground and high into the roof of the net.

He was also involved in the move that led to Olivier Giroud's winner three minutes later, and there's no doubt that Pulisic's introduction gave Chelsea an additional dimension.

In a short period of time on the pitch he also managed three shots and four touches inside the area, third-most for his team despite only playing for 35 minutes.

Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea: Full Player Ratings and Statistics

But the Chelsea captain, Cesar Azpilicueta, was the true hero of the hour, assisting both goals and putting in an excellent overall attacking performance from full-back, earning an 8.6 FC Rating.

〽️ Rating Week-on-Week

✔️ IMPROVEMENT

Pulisic's last outing before the lockdown was a poor display, barely impacting events as Chelsea struggled to a 1-1 draw at Brighton, scoring a 6.1 FC Rating before he was subbed on 66 minutes.

But his 7.0 FC Rating for the contest in his short cameo is a real improvement and given the competition for places not only now but next season, Pulisic will need to retain this level of performance.

🗝️ Key Stats

What Next?

Pulisic has undoubtedly given Frank Lampard something to think about. With Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech coming next season, and with Callum Hudson-Odoi returning, Chelsea appear stacked in the attacking positions.

It won't be possible to play them all; Pulisici's arrival cost £50m but he hasn't really shown he is worth that amount just yet. He needed to make this impact in order to stress his role in the team deserves to be more than that of support player from the bench.

It will be interesting to see if he has done enough to earn a start in Chelsea's next outing.

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