Well, who saw that one coming then? When the stage was set for a primetime Chelsea meltdown in the FA Cup, Mauricio Pochettino's Blues put in a performance that very few, if anyone, thought they could.
The Argentine made three changes to the team who were put to the sword by Wolverhampton Wanderers just a few days ago, but with how they played, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was an entirely different squad.
Aston Villa away is about as tough a fixture as any at the moment, but where Manchester City and Arsenal fell to defeat within a week, the Pensioners left as conquerors – at least for now.
The result in and of itself does little to change the club's season, but the performance was incredibly encouraging, and while Conor Gallagher opened the scoring before Nicolas Jackson doubled their lead, it's Chelsea's mercurial World Cup winner Enzo Fernández who deserves to be lauded after last night.
Enzo Fernández's performance in numbers
Now, that was the sort of performance you expect from a player that costs £107m, and it came at just the right moment for the Argentinian magician. The last few days have seen countless rumours, leaks, and stories about his supposed unhappiness in west London spring up, with some even suggesting he might leave in the summer.
Well, based on the former Benfica gem's celebration following his spectacular free-kick, it feels like those were, in fact, just rumours, and if the 23-year-old can start delivering performances like that with any regularity, then the fans will demand he stays forever.
While his goal will naturally grab the headlines given its sheer brilliance, his all-round play was unreal on the night, so much so that football.london's Bobby Vincent gave him a 9/10, describing him as a 'joy to watch a Villa Park.'
The midfield "monster", as football writer Amos Murphy once dubbed him, maintained a passing accuracy of 91%, won three ground tackles, completed all five of his long balls and took 62 touches.
That said, for as extraordinary a performance as it was – and it really was – there was another Chelsea player who deserves just as much credit and has gone from zero to hero in the space of a week, Malo Gusto.
Malo Gusto's performance in numbers
Following the game against Wolves on Sunday, it seemed like a sure thing that Gusto would be dropped for last night's game.
After all, he conceded a penalty and was given a 3/10 by the Standard's Nizaar Kinsella for 'putting Chelsea in danger with his passing.'
However, sometimes Premier League managers do, in fact, know better than the fans, and so Pochettino started the young Frenchman, and what a decision that was.
The former Lyon gem played all 94 minutes of the clash, and aside from the first two minutes or so, he was imperious in both attack and defence.
Football.london's Vincent gave the 20-year-old a 9/10 on the night and credited his early block on Alex Moreno and his assist for Nicolas Jackson's goal in the 21st minute for why.
Journalist Ben Jacobs was also full of praise for the full-back, arguing that he was "outstanding for Chelsea", and looking at his numbers from last night, it'd be hard to disagree.
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In his 94 minutes of action, he took 73 touches – more than Enzo – provided one assist, made two clearances, one interception, one tackle, made one key pass and won three of his five ground duels, all while maintaining a passing accuracy of 89%.
Minutes played
94
Assists
1
Touches
73
Clearances
2
Interceptions
1
Tackles
1
Accurate passes
49/55 (89%)
Key passes
1
Ground Duels (won)
5 (3)
In all, it was about a perfect comeback as the Décines-Charpieu-born dynamo could have hoped for, and while it would be unfair to expect him to perform like that every single game, he could make a real name for himself at Chelsea by just getting close.
