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- FOLLOW LIVE: Chelsea take on Aston Villa at Villa Park for a place in the fifth round
- Chelsea are a mess and it’s hard to find the answers… but they need to keep the faith and stay patient. It all starts podcast
Roy Keane praised Chelsea at both half-time and full-time after they beat Aston Villa 3-1.
The Blues and their boss Mauricio Pochettino found themselves under immense pressure in the FA Cup fourth round at Villa Park after Sunday’s dreadful 4-2 defeat to Wolves.
However, against their in-form opponents – who beat Sheffield United 5-0 this weekend – Chelsea started quickly and went 1-0 up after an excellent finish from Conor Gallagher, who capped off a fine team move.
Nicolas Jackson made it 2-0 heading home after a delightful cross from Malo Gusto as Chelsea fans were sent to dreamland at Villa Park.
And Keane praised Pochettino’s side’s performance at half-time on ITV.
Roy Keane praised Chelsea’s performance against Aston Villa as they beat them 3-1 at Villa Park
Keane told ITV that on Wednesday he felt like he was watching ‘the old Chelsea’
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“It’s just like the old Chelsea,” he said. ‘Brilliant, strong, physical and sharp in possession. Good decision-making, two quality goals.
“They’ve been excellent. Hunt in packs, work in numbers, and they play as a team tonight.
“It was a nice bit of composure and a nice strike from Gallagher and they’ve been everything you want as a team. Simple but quality.
“It (second goal) is beautiful, it’s great quality overall. We had doubts about Jackson’s finishing before the game, but again, it’s a beautiful goal.”
He continued: ‘We have questioned Chelsea, but now we are questioning Villa and let’s see what they have. We certainly won’t write them off and that chance for rest is a warning.
‘Villa need something, Chelsea’s midfield was excellent, but Villa need a spark.’
After the display of the first half, Enzo Fernandez made it 3-0 early in the second half with a sublime free kick.
Moussa Diaby scored a late consolation but the Blues ran out a 3-1 winner and they will now host Leeds in the fifth round.
Pochettino came under pressure in the match after Chelsea lost 4-2 to Wolves on Sunday
But Chelsea responded excellently to that defeat and helped cause a shock at Villa Park
And speaking at full-time, Keane repeated his praise for a performance that Pochettino described as the best of his tenure.
He added: “A brilliant night for Chelsea. They were strong and aggressive, showed quality and scored three great goals.
“It’s everything you want away from home. There are question marks at Villa and they never showed up tonight.
“Chelsea grew in confidence as the match went on and it’s amazing this game… it drives you crazy. We praised Villa and said there was a crisis at Chelsea before the match.
‘Then they start playing like this. They have to get started now and carry it over to the rest of the season.
‘But what we saw tonight was as if they were in Villa’s position chasing the top four.’