Aston Villa
BRAD FRIEDEL: Could do little to stop Drogba's opener and likewise with Malouda's second - 6/10.
STEPHEN WARNOCK: Put in a brilliant block in the first half to deny Drogba and looked solid throughout - 7.
CARLOS CUELLAR: Decent effort against an in-form Florent Malouda - 6.
RICHARD DUNNE: Poor clearance helped John Terry play in Drogba for Chelsea's opener but otherwise put in a strong performance - 6.
JAMES COLLINS: Reckless lunge almost let Drogba in in the second half and otherwise struggled to keep the Ivorian in check - 5.
STEWART DOWNING: Whipped in a teasing cross to beat Petr Cech in the first half and threatened on occasions - 6.
ASHLEY YOUNG: After a poor first 45 minutes, the winger improved in the second half but that final killer ball was always missing - 6.
STILIYAN PETROV: Mastered the Villa midfield with authority and had the better of Deco throughout - 7.
JAMES MILNER: Typically hard-working performance which will have impressed England manager Fabio Capello in the stands - 7.
GABRIEL AGBONLAHOR: Felt he should have had a penalty in the first half but rarely contributed to the game - 5.
JOHN CAREW: Was a handful but his only real chance came in the second half with a difficult header which flew wide of Cech's goal - 6.
Substitutes
EMILE HESKEY (on for Carew, 82): Hardly touched the ball in a dangerous position - 5.
Chelsea
PETR CECH: Flapped at an early cross but never looked like being beaten - 6.
ALEX: Strong performance at the heart of the Blues backline alongside Terry - 7.
YURY ZHIRKOV: Was anonymous until providing a wonderfully-crafted cross for Malouda to score Chelsea's second - 7.
JOHN TERRY: A bad challenge on England team-mate Milner marred an otherwise faultless display - 6.
PAULO FERREIRA: Looked shaky at the start but did his best to keep Downing and Milner in check - 6.
JOHN OBI MIKEL: Was at the centre of Agbonlahor's claims for a first-half penalty but looked steady in front of the back four - 6.
FLORENT MALOUDA: Drifted across the park in the first half to trouble Villa and his break set up Chelsea's third -7.
DECO: Failed to justify his inclusion ahead of Nicolas Anelka after a poor performance which included a booking for a petty foul on Petrov - 5.
JOE COLE: Harshly substituted by Carlo Ancelotti with 25 minutes left after an industrious performance which will have done his England chances no harm - 7.
FRANK LAMPARD: A typically solid performance from the England midfielder, who got his reward for an industrious display with a late strike for Chelsea's third - 7.
DIDIER DROGBA: Anonymous for the first half but sprung to life in the second period and did well to react to Terry's shot to score Chelsea's winner - 8.
Substitutes
SALOMON KALOU (on for Cole, 65): Proved a handful for his 25 minutes on the pitch - 6.
MICHAEL BALLACK (on for Deco, 77): Rarely featured after his introduction - 5.
NICOLAS ANELKA (on for Drogba, 80): Held his nerve to set up Lampard for Chelsea's third - 6.
