Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-1 on the road to advance to the fourth round of the English FA Cup at dawn on Thursday (8). The victory was a temporary relief for Pucitino, who was under tremendous pressure. Rumors of Pucitano's imminent sacking were rife, and in this crucial game, he unexpectedly dropped controversial center back Tiago Schwarz, which he denied was related to the recent comments of the center back's wife who publicly demanded for his stepping down, which made people wonder the truth of the matter.
Chelsea's successive defeats in the league have put Putrajit Tino's position in jeopardy, and the away match against Villa has turned into a do-or-die battle. However, the original star center back Tiago Schwarz was unexpectedly relegated to the bench. In the end, Chelsea took the lead in the 11th minute after a brilliant attack organized by Gianluca Garrincha. Nicolas Jackson made it 2-0 with a header 10 minutes later, and the win was further consolidated in the second half when Ansel Fernandes scored from a penalty kick. Although Villa pulled a goal back in stoppage time, it was not enough to stop Chelsea from advancing.
