Aston Villa were held to a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Villa Park on Saturday night, a fixture that saw one of Unai Emery’s players receive high praise.
It was a testing night for Aston Villa against Chelsea, who came from two goals down to force the hosts to settle for a draw at Villa Park.
Unai Emery watched his side fail to take a nine-point lead over Tottenham by walking away from the contest with a point, on what was a frustrating night for the Villans, who held a 2-0 lead at the start of the second half.
READ MORE: Why Unai Emery was ‘deeply unhappy’ with one Aston Villa player v Chelsea
It took just four minutes for the deadlock to be broken, as Lucas Digne found space on the left flank, drilling a low ball into John McGinn, whose shot was deflected off Marc Cucurella to open the scoring.
Just before half-time, Morgan Rogers extended Villa’s lead with a neat finish, a goal that proved to be pivotal as Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher pulled two goals back for the visitors in the second half.
While the fixture that was once controlled by Villa ended in three points lost for Chelsea, pundit Glenn Hoddle was full of praise for one Villans’ actions against the West Londoners.
Glenn Hoddle was impressed by ‘brilliant’ Morgan Rogers moment v Chelsea
During TNT Sports’ halftime analysis of the fixture, pundit Hoddle singled out the work of Rogers to score Villa’s second goal against Chelsea.
The former Tottenham ace picked apart the Englishman’s work to score the goal to put Villa 2-0 up in the 42nd minute, admitting that Rogers has ‘surprised everyone’ with his quality.
“He’s surprised everyone. The way he just shifts the ball inside, he’s caught him [Petrovic] out absolutely brilliantly at the near post.”
It was a well-executed finish by the 21-year-old, who became the youngest Villa player to score in three consecutive home games in the Premier League, scoring a decisive goal for his side as the game unfolded.
Hoddle is certainly correct in expressing his surprise at the dynamic forward’s impact, as he arrived at Villa Park in January with no Premier League experience, signing for an initial £8m from Championship outfit Middlesbrough.
Aston Villa can count on Morgan Rogers to step up when needed
While it wasn’t Villa’s finest 90 minutes, Rogers proved that his recent form isn’t poised to slip away, as he took it upon himself to score a goal of individual brilliance against the Blues.
During the game, TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton praised the former Championship star’s development, saying that he ‘seems to be getting better with every passing week’.
The 21-year-old was a livewire throughout the contest that proved to be a challenge for Villa, showing his strength and power in possession, as well as his versatility to play both in the wide areas and central attacking midfield.
While the Englishman is still raw, there is a significant talent there for Emery to continue to unlock, with his goal against Chelsea another step in the right direction for Rogers at Villa Park and in the Premier League.
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