Aston Villa were forced to settle with a draw against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, however, one pivotal moment could have seen the game end differently for the Villans.
It was a tedious evening for Aston Villa on Saturday as the Villans hosted Chelsea at Villa Park in a Premier League thriller.
Just four minutes into the game, it looked as though Unai Emery’s side were coasting towards their third consecutive league win as Marc Cucurella flicked the ball into his own net.
Morgan Rogers added to the scoreline just before the interval, making Chelsea’s return into the game even more frustrating, as Villa blew a 2-0 lead at home.
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Second-half goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher saw the scoreline levelled, with the game almost lost in the dying embers if it wasn’t for VAR intervention, as a foul in the build-up to Axel Diasi’s match-winner saved the hosts.
It was certainly a contest of two halves as Villa looked miles off the pace in the second half, with journalist Gregg Evans identifying one element as to why the game turned on its head.
Aston Villa substitution of Youri Tielemans benefited Chelsea during 2-2 draw
In the 27th minute of play, Emery was forced to make an early change as Youri Tielemans went down clutching his groin in what was a worrying sight for Villa.
The Belgian was replaced by Moussa Diaby which subsequently changed the shape of the midfield and attack, with The Athletic journalist, Evans, relaying just how detrimental the switch was to the hosts when speaking on the 1874 podcast.
“I do think the early withdrawal of Tielemans made a big difference, I thought he was playing really well early on.
“[He was] knocking it about, moving the ball well, dropping into areas of space that were causing Chelsea problems.
“I don’t think they quite knew how to handle him but then, as soon as he went off. All of a sudden you saw Gallagher come into the game.”
Youri Tielemans statistics v Chelsea
In recent weeks, Tielemans has become integral to Emery’s style of play which was evident when he was removed from the game against Chelsea.
The central areas seemed to open up when the 26-year-old was withdrawn, seeing the Blues find a way to grasp the control in the midfield which ultimately assisted them in securing a point.
Aston Villa will be concerned over the fitness of Youri Tielemans
After the game, Emery told the media that the club will have to wait to see the extent of Tielemans’ injury, with Emi Martinez being in the same boat after coming off at half-time.
Having lost Boubacar Kamara for the season, the manager’s options in midfield are running thin, with no player able to replicate the impact that the Belgian has in his crafted role between the engine room and the front line.
It will be an agonising wait for Villa, who with critical fixtures in the Premier League and the Europa Conference League coming up, will be praying for a positive update on the Belgian after seeing how the side crumbled without him against Chelsea.
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