Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino hailed the performance for their FA Cup replay win at Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

The Blues won 3-1 via goals from Conor Gallagher, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez.

Pochettino later said: "It was one of the best performances of the season. I think the players really enjoyed the game and yes, I think we played well against a very difficult team. Aston Villa is doing a terrific job, they are in a position in the top four and of course they are I think the second-best team playing at home.

"Too many things happen when you lose a game. I am older than them and I think I take these things in a different way. But we are Chelsea, we need to accept that Chelsea provoke these things. The expectation is massive. Sometimes the expectation is not easy because we are still a young team. But we are growing in a really good way.

"To be in the final of the Carabao Cup and now in the next round of the FA Cup, I think playing this way we can win more games than we lose.

"We try to find the best words and best way to help the players. We are a group of people working for the same objective. The players are the principle actors on the pitch. We need to provide the best platform for them to perform in a freedom way.

"With a young team it is a challenge to be consistent. We have a few days to recover and think a little bit. That is the way to keep going and fighting. I am so happy for the players. They believe in us and the connection has been good all season, even when the result is not right they are still convinced we can do things."