Mason Mount scored both goals in a battling Chelsea win away at Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old scored his first and second goals of the season, beginning with a strike in the sixth minute to exploit a terrible Tyrone Mings error.
He followed it up with a stunning free-kick midway through the second half which wrong-footed goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
The scoreline didn't tell the story of the match with Chelsea under pressure for the majority, relying on stunning saves from their goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Nizaar Kinsella was at Villa Park watching the action.
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 9
Forced into a save after less than a minute from Douglas Luiz. Made a triple stop from Jacob Ramsey, Danny Ings and Douglas Luiz in the 21st minute with Chelsea on the back foot.
Made several more huge saves to thwart Ings and McGinn. It was as good as a goalkeeping performance really gets.
Trevoh Chalobah - 7
He had a hard time with Sterling struggling at wing-back. Did well in his individual duels with Ollie Watkins despite being exposed tactically.
Thiago Silva - 6
Helped out Cucurella after a stooped header in the 20th minute, but was nudged to the ground as John McGinn shot shortly after. Overall, though, he can be proud of his outing.
Marc Cucurella - 4
He was constantly exposed down his channel with similar problems coming on the opposite flank. Struggled to build the defensive partnership with Chilwell on their first outing together. He was taken off at half-time for Kalidou Koulibaly.
Raheem Sterling - 5
Interestingly, the England international started the game playing as a right wing-back. Playing both deep and wide, Sterling was exposed by Ashley Young’s dribbling in the 15th minute.
Such were his struggles he was moved back into the forward line in the 35th minute. Ended the game as a lone striker as Chelsea shut up shop. Sterling headed a good chance wide late on.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 7
Loftus-Cheek moved into wing-back to fill in for a struggling Sterling. The Blues struggled for options with Reece James now out injured for eight weeks. He was back in central midfield after half-time.
Mateo Kovacic - 6
Had a shot well over after 10 minutes but produced an important clearance from an Ings shot early on which saved a goal.
Ben Chilwell - 5
Hugely struggled with Ings and Leon Bailey’s runs behind him, with Cucurella also having a tough first ’45 playing together. He steadied his performance in the second half after Koulibaly’s introduction.
Mason Mount - 8
Latched onto a terrible mistake by Mings to produce a simple finish from six yards in the sixth minute. It was a credit to the England international to gamble on a potential mistake, rewarding him with his first Chelsea goal of the season.
The homegrown star won and scored a free-kick to seal the win in the 65th minute. No player has more goal involvements than Mount for Chelsea this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 5
Struggled to get the ball to stick up front and gave it away. Ultimately substituted after just 58 minutes having barely impacted the game.
Kai Havertz - 6
Had a tame effort for Chelsea’s second big chance of the game but provided a good setup for Sterling at the end of the first half, which led to him hitting the crossbar. Unlike Cucurella, it felt a bit harsh to take him off at the interval.
Substitutes
Cesar Azpilicueta - 6
Coming on at half-time, he was Chelsea’s third wing-back in 45 minutes as Graham Potter searched for answers to replace the injured James. He was solid but unremarkable.
Kalidou Koulibaly - 7
He came on for Cucurella who struggled on the left, immediately using his size and ability on the ball to steady a weak performance. His good tackle on Bailey in the 52nd minute helped create a sense of ease at the back.
Jorginho - 7
He was very tidy in his short spell on the pitch, helping to bring on a rare period of dominance in possession.
Conor Gallagher - 7
Positively impacted the game to wrestle back control. He acted as a defensive substitution coming on for Aubameyang and it worked.
Armando Broja - N/A
Unused: Edouard Mendy; Denis Zakaria, Carney Chukwuemeka; Christian Pulisic.
