'I never thought I'd say' - Former Aston Villa man issues verdict on Chelsea defeat

Aston Villa will feel they have 'let themselves down', according to one former Villain. Unai Emery's men put on a poor display against a struggling Chelsea side on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 at home in the FA Cup fourth round replay.

Villa were comfortably beaten at home, and while Moussa Diaby helped them save a little face in injury time, they will come away from the clash disappointed that they didn't put on a bigger fight to progress to the next round. That's something former Villa man Dion Dublin has highlighted.

"I think Villa have so much more than we've seen tonight," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "They'll look at this game and think they let themselves down. They'll be saying: 'We're better than that - we got outplayed, outfought'. Chelsea were more energised and I never thought I'd say that about this Villa side at Villa Park. Well done to Chelsea for coming here and getting a result like this."

Speaking about where Villa go from here as they look to continue their top four pursuit against a rejuvenated Manchester United side this weekend, Dublin added: "They (Villa) had their bump in the road against Newcastle and bounced back quickly. I think the weekend against Manchester United is going to be massive now, for the top four, for momentum for the season.

"The only question you have is whether Chelsea provided the blueprint of how to play against this Villa side. Manchester United can replicate that. They have their own flaws but they can sit in, make it difficult for their opposition. We'll have to wait and see how it affects their season."