January 27, (THEWILL) – Chelsea and Aston Villa played to a goalless draw in the FA Cup fourth round at Stamford Bridge on Friday night. The result sets up a replay at Villa Park next month as both English Premier League sides aim to advance to the fifth round.
The first half saw Chelsea dominate possession and carve out several excellent chances, but they found Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in inspired form. Noni Madueke spurned a glorious opportunity for the Blues when he somehow failed to tap into an empty net after a cross from Cole Palmer.
After the break, Villa grew into the game and began creating openings of their own. Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash both tested Chelsea keeper Đorđe Petrović, who also refused to be beaten. The away side continued to press late on, with Ezri Konsa missing a chance to snatch a winner.
Ultimately neither team could make the breakthrough, meaning they will do battle once again at Villa Park. Unai Emery’s Villa side are aiming to defeat Chelsea for the first time in the FA Cup since 1960 and advance to the fifth round for the first time since 2015.
The 0-0 result extends Chelsea’s current unbeaten streak to six matches under manager Mauricio Pochettino. Still, their FA Cup campaign remains very much in the balance heading into the Villa Park replay.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
