Tireless midfielder Mason Mount put in a shift during Chelsea’s Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
His left-footed effort in the first half may have not resulted in a goal, but the 21-year-old was one of the most influential players on the pitch at Villa Park.
Deployed at his favourite number eight position, Frank Lampard gave Mount the licence to roam while Kovacic and N’Golo Kante stayed in deeper positions.
The England international once again showed why he has played more Premier League games than any other Chelsea player.
Averaging third most possession in the league this season (Whoscored), Chelsea once again dominated against Villa having 74% possession of the ball to the home team’s 26%.
And being a possession-based team, their defence starts in the attacking third. This is where Mount excels as an attacker.
He applied pressures to opponents 25 times during the match, with eight of those in the attacking third and 16 in the middle third of the pitch (FBref).
He applied more pressures than any other player from both sides, and to put it into perspective, Chelsea’s next best Kante recorded 15 pressures. And we know how much Kante loves chasing the ball.
Mount also had the most touches (nine) in Villa’s penalty box among Chelsea players (Willian and Marcos Alonso were the second-best with five each).
Despite not registering any assist, he had five attacking actions that led to shots, which was Chelsea’s second-most after Willian (seven).
You can expect Lampard to once again rely on Mount’s work-rate for Premier League clash against Manchester City on Friday.
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