Chelsea v Aston Villa player ratings: Mateo Kovacic 9, Romelu Lukaku 8, Danny Ings 4

Blues claim a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge despite plenty of chances for the visitors

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  CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 8. Called into action plenty of times in the first half and duly delivered a variety of fine saves. Under less pressure in the second half but still alert when needed. EPA

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  Trevoh Chalobah – 7. Continues to take his chances when given a place in the team. Slotted in well next to Silva and brought the ball confidently out from the back. No wonder goals this time but you can’t have it all. AFP

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  Antonio Rudiger – 7. Brought a cheer from the terraces with a speculative effort from inside the halfway line. Unsurprisingly it ended up in the rafters. More importantly, did the role he’s paid for much better than his finishing. Solid display from the German. Getty

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  Thiago Silva – 8. Chelsea need to thank the Brazilian FA for waiving the potential Fifa sanctions that could’ve seen Silva miss the game. Rock solid when Chelsea were under pressure and marshalled his back-line with typical command. Getty

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  Callum Hudson-Odoi – 6. The more attacking of the wing-backs and got into plenty of good positions but couldn’t find that killer ball. Moved out to the left wing for the final 25 minutes but it wasn’t the perfect audition in his preferred role. Reuters

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  Marcos Alonso – 6. Supported the occasional counter-attack but it was a more defensive performance by the Spaniard – which is not usually a good thing. Did OK but shaky at times, particularly from corners. AP

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  Mateo Kovacic – 9. His role in the opening goal displayed everything great about the Croatian: wins ball back, fine footwork to create space, drives forward and plays a sumptuous ball for Lukaku. Then took the second with a smart finish. Classy performance from a classy player. AFP

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  Saul Niguez – 4. Shaky debut from the Spaniard, exemplified by a loose five-yard pass that found a Villa player. Needs time to get up to speed. Replaced by Jorginho at the break. EPA

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  Hakim Ziyech – 5. For the owner of one of the sweetest left foots in world football, Ziyech’s radar was way off. Couldn’t find much luck with his raking long balls and had a couple of tame efforts on goal. Dropped deep to get into the game. Getty

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  Kai Havertz – 5. Quiet evening for the German. Tracked back and did his defensive duties well but posed little threat in attack. Getty

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  Romelu Lukaku – 8. Trademark Lukaku for his opening goal, showing pace, power, trickery, and a strong finish. Found himself in a tough battle against the Villa backline but then popped up with a stunning strike in injury time. Two shots, two goals. Can £100m ever be classed as a bargain? Getty

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  SUBS: Jorginho (On for Saul, 45’) – 7. Brought more control and calmness to Chelsea’s midfield following Saul’s erratic first half display. Reuters

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  Cesar Azpilicueta (On for Havertz, 64’) – 7. Skinned Mings and laid on the pass for Lukaku’s second. Effective cameo from the captain. AFP

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  Timo Werner (On for Hudson Odoi, 82’) – N/A. Getty

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  ASTON VILLA PLAYER RATINGS: Jed Steer – 6. Little chance with any of the goals and wasn’t really called into action beyond those three strikes. AFP

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  Matty Cash – 7. Handled his defensive duties well by containing Havertz and then Hudson-Odoi but didn’t offer much in attack. Reuters

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  Ezri Konsa – 7. The pick of the Villa centre-backs with an assured display. Can’t be too far from an England call-up. Getty

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  Axel Tuanzebe – 6. Got turned inside out by Lukaku for Chelsea’s first goal but was generally solid for the remainder of the match. Getty

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  Tyrone Mings – 5. Similar story as Tuanzebe in that a largely solid performance was marred by a couple of poor moments: the sloppy back pass which led to Kovacic’s goal and getting skinned by Azpilicueta for Chelsea’s third. Getty

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  Matt Targett – 6. Much like Cash on the right, did well defensively but didn’t offer much at the other end of the pitch. Getty

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  Jacob Ramsey – 6. Lively during the first half but his influence faded as the match wore on and Chelsea asserted control. AFP

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  Douglas Luiz – 5. A quiet game from the Brazilian, particularly once Chelsea took control in the second half. AP

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  John McGinn – 8. Villa’s standout player by a distance. Central to his team’s large spells of dominance in the first half and continued to drive his team forward. Dominated Saul in the first half which led to the Spaniard's substitution. AP

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  Danny Ings – 4. Largely anonymous performance from the England striker. Never threatened the Chelsea goal. AP

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  Ollie Watkins – 6. Posed a real threat, particularly in the first half, but came up against an unbeatable Mendy. Getty

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  SUBS: Leon Bailey (On for Ramsey, 56’) – 6. Showed flashes of his skill with a nutmeg on Alonso. Returning from a hamstring injury and Dean Smith needs him in his starting XI as soon as possible. Reuters

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  Bretrand Traore (On for Ings, 69’) – 5. Made little impact against his former team. Marvelous Nakamba (On for Luiz, 80’) – N/A (pictured) Reuters

Romelu Lukaku marked his return to Stamford Bridge with a lethal performance on Saturday, scoring twice for Chelsea in a 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

Lukaku, who previously played for United, Everton and West Bromwich Albion, had never scored at the ground – even during his first spell with Chelsea. But he got off the mark in his 15th appearance at the stadium when he opened the scoring.

In the 15th minute, Kovacic slithered past Villa's midfield and released Lukaku with a ball that split the away side's defence. The Belgian striker sent defender Axel Tuanzebe the wrong way before finding the bottom corner.

Kovacic got his name on the scoresheet three minutes into the second half when the Croatian midfielder pounced on a poor back pass from Tyrone Mings, chipping the oncoming goalkeeper Jed Steer to double the lead.

Lukaku got his second in stoppage time when Cesar Azpilicueta found the striker at the edge of the box where he unleashed a left-footed strike that gave Steer no chance.

Villa had their chances to score but Edouard Mendy had a stellar game in goal, making numerous saves to ensure Thomas Tuchel's side kept their third clean sheet in four matches.

The result extended Chelsea's unbeaten start to the Premier League season and moves Thomas Tuchel's European champions up to second, level on 10 points with leaders Manchester United.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, sit in 12th on four points.

Jon Turner has provided his player ratings from Stamford Bridge in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.