5 Key Takeaways From Sunday's Win Over Aston Villa

On Sunday, Chelsea marked their Premier League return and their first-ever match behind closed doors with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud supplied the goals as the Blues cemented their fourth-place spot.

Despite dominating throughout, Frank Lampard's side found themselves trailing at halftime to a Kourtney Hause goal. 

However, they turned it around with two quick goals in the span of three minutes, both assisted by captain Cesar Azpilicueta, to propel the side to victory.

Mason Mount was also a notable performer on the day, as was N'Golo Kante, who recently recovered from an injury. 

Here are some of my thoughts on today's game.

1. Christian Pulisic is a game-changer

In the absence of Jorginho, the Frenchman looked back to his best in his more comfortable holding midfielder position. Ever since Jorginho's arrival, Kante was pushed into a more advanced position, encouraged to go forward and participate in the attack.

While Kante is still a good midfielder playing as a No. 8, today showed that as a defensive midfielder, he is simply world-class. Time after time, he mopped up potential opposing counterattacks, won the ball back, and recycled play.

He also showed his wide passing range, an excellent first touch under pressure and an ability to distribute the ball effectively, all of which make him a great fit to play as a holding midfielder.

When Jorginho returns next match against Man City, it'll be interesting to see if Kante is moved forward again, if Jorginho is benched, or if they are both chosen as defensive midfielders against a very attacking side.

Whatever happens next time out, Kante has made it evident today that he plays his best football as a defensive midfielder. Time will tell how Lampard responds.

2. N'Golo Kante is at his best when he plays CDM

When the young American came onto the pitch against Villa, he had an instant impact. His pace and trickery unnerved the opposing defense, and he supplied a great threat out wide.

His most important contribution was volleying home the equalizer off the underside of the bar from an inch-perfect Azpilicueta cross. By doing so, he also shifted the momentum of the game.

Pulisic was a constant threat today, which was more than could be said for the man he replaced, Ruben Loftus-Cheek. 

His future starting role at Chelsea may be under threat next season (although I don't think it will be) with the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, but at the moment he undoubtedly must be starting.

He is Chelsea's best option out wide right now, and I expect to see him get the start against City.

3. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is still not match-fit

While everyone was returning after a three-month spell without playing, Loftus-Cheek had not played in over 400 days, so expecting him to be match-fit immediately would be naive.

This certainly makes me question Lampard's decision to start him right away, especially given his uninspiring showing today.

The 24-year-old lacked invention, accuracy, and sharpness, all qualities which made him invaluable prior to his injury, but that will come with time. 

In fairness to Lampard, this was probably the best game to play him in, given the opponent. While he may not have contributed much to the win, playing 55 minutes today puts him well on the path to match fitness.

For the time being, though, he needs to continue to train hard, maybe make short cameo appearances in the upcoming games against City and Leicester, but by no means should he be starting in these games.

When he is back to full fitness, he will be a huge boost to Chelsea, so he should not be rushed back into the team.

4. Azpilicueta is still Chelsea's best fullback

After all the talk this season about youngster Reece James replacing the captain in the team, Azpilicueta silenced his doubters with his performance today.

The Spaniard was sharp and focused as ever defensively, but today combined that with two assists. With Villa's very defensive approach, the Blues whipped in cross after cross, and part of those duties fell to Azpilicueta.

After a peach of a cross to get Pulisic on the scoresheet, he then popped up on the left side to set up Giroud, who turned and fired into the net via a slight deflection.

This took his tally to seven assists this season, which is very impressive for a defender not known for his attacking prowess.

Conversely, James is known for his attacking prowess, but when he was subbed in today to see the game out he nearly gave every Chelsea fan, myself included, a heart attack, losing the ball four times in around eight minutes.

The unnecessary pressure he put on his backline, especially when he was brought on to alleviate such pressure, showed that the young fullback still has a long way to go before reaching his captain's level.

When required, Azpilicueta always shows up, and he is still an integral part of the Chelsea team.

5. Willian is on his way out of the club

Today's showing from the veteran Brazilian winger did not look like that of a player who wants to fight for his future; it looked like that of a player who is seeing out his remaining days as a Chelsea member.

Willian, whose contract expires on June 30th, is in ongoing negotiations with Chelsea to extend it at least until the end of the season. The club has until Tuesday to sort this out, or he will be ineligible to play the remaining matches.  

I expected Willian to put in a spirited performance as a message to the Chelsea board of what he can still bring to the team, but instead, he looked lazy and uninterested.

He did not try to take people on or get to the byline, instead just choosing to make simple passes and keep the ball moving. While that could be applaudable for a holding midfielder, a winger is supposed to be a creative force.

I'm not saying he had a bad game, he just wasn't in the thick of it. Whereas Mount and even Pulisic buzzed around the field with loads of energy, Willian did not seem as if he was fighting for his future.

This game today was the last game before the decision about his future must be finalized, and based on this evidence, the man who a season ago was worthy of giving the No. 10 shirt to may not even finish the season with the Blues.

The first taste of Premier League football since the restart ultimately went well for Chelsea. Favorable results elsewhere mean that Lampard's side currently holds a five-point lead over closest challengers Man United in fifth.

Now, the onus is on them to carry their form into their remaining games, starting with a difficult match against City at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.