Another game gave us another passionless, sad, embarrassing capitulation that has brought us a game nearer to our inevitable relegation.

This is the second time we have managed 7 consecutive defeats this season and it was our 22^nd league defeat from our 32 games to date. The “Proud History, What future?” signs were there for all to see at Villa Park yesterday and well done to all that took part in that protest!  

We were half way through the first half before we went behind yesterday and for once we did not concede another goal within a couple of minutes. This time we managed to stay only one behind until a stoppage time penalty gave the visitors a two goal cushion and they predictably added another shortly after the re-start. That third goal was well taken but we offered the same sort of resistance that you would expect a set of training cones to provide.

This was way too easy for our visitors who were missing keys players but could have won this with their Under 21 side. Had Chelsea had the inclination or something still to play for this season we would have lost by more than the four goals that we did. The sad thing is that very few of us would have been surprised had we done so.  

My player ratings from a game that left us potentially just one more defeat away from being mathematically certain of relegation with five dead rubbers still to play after that are:

Brad Guzan – 3 – Spread himself well at his near post on 37 minutes to block a shot from Rahman and got down low to hold another shot 2 minutes later. He fumbled a 48^th minute effort from Oscar before parrying Pato’s 59^th minute shot into the path of Pedro to claim an unwanted assist for their fourth goal. These all too regular howlers have not helped the increasingly brittle confidence of the defenders in front of him or our chances of avoiding our sad fate which will soon be confirmed beyond any doubt. We cannot afford not to sign a new keeper for next season!

Alan Hutton – 4 – We like it that Alan works hard and dropping down a division might see him find it easier when coming up against less gifted and speedy forwards as well as less accomplished defenders when he moves forward himself. He got stuck in as we expect that he will yesterday but left the game early due to gathering two yellows in 7 minutes.

Micah Richards – 4 – Won the ball more than once when it seemed he was unlikely to do so.   

Joleon Lescott – 3 – Shows the odd sign of the player he has been in the past but time seems to have caught up with him this season. Loftus-Cheek turned in Azpilicueta’s 23^rd minute cross for their opener which took a deflection off Joleon’s leg on its way past Guzan.

Aly Cissokho – 4 – Conceded the penalty during first half stoppage time that gave the visitors a two goal cushion when flattening Pato as he looked to get on the end of a cross from Fabregas.

Carlos Sánchez – 3 – Started reasonably well but he always has a mistake waiting to happen in him and he failed to make any attempt to cover Pedro’s run into the box for their fourth. Prior to his substitution he had embarrassingly taken to trying to stop Chelsea players going past him by attempting to tackle them by grabbing them around the body with his arms. These half-hearted attempts at a tackle would have been bad enough in a schoolboy game of rugby but we were allegedly supposed to be playing football.   

Ashley Westwood – 4 – Needs to make more of an impression on a game than he did on this one.

Idrissa Gana – 5 – Another decent display and he was again comfortably our best midfield player.

Carles Gil – 5 – Started well and forced a save at the near post from Courtois on 31 minutes.

Jordan Ayew – 5 – Had a 22nd minute effort deflected for a corner. Was unlucky to see an attempted clearance from Baba Rahman cannon off him into the arms of Courtois on 31 minutes. Got between two defenders inside the box on 41 minutes and placed his shot just wide of the far post. Hit a 30 yard shot on 50 minutes that Courtois plucked comfortably enough from the air.    

Rudy Gestede – 4 – Failed to make any real impression on the defenders he came up against yesterday. Hit a speculative long range shot on 15 minutes which was on target but lacked the pace to pose any sort of threat to Courtois. Failed to get an outstretched leg to a ball on 79 minutes.   

Substitutes:

Jack Grealish – 6 – MOTM - Replaced Gil on 66 minutes. Made an encouraging impact hitting a good cross over on 68 minutes. He was then brought down inside the box by Pedro on 71 minutes but the referee chose to ignore his penalty claim. Volleyed a shot wide of the post on 88 minutes.  

Leandro Bacuna – 3 - Replaced Sánchez as part of the double substitution on 66 minutes to a merited chorus of boos and he will not have any future in the Champions League on this sort of showing.

Jordan Lyden – Replaced Gana on 82 minutes and was not on long enough to gain a rating. 

Going down with a whimper Villa!

John Lewis