Already heading to Wembley for the League Cup final in February, Chelsea’s run in this competition was almost put in jeopardy as Douglas Luiz deflected Moussa Diaby’s effort into the net just after the 10-minute mark, but a keenly-spotted handball as it ricocheted off the Brazilian was enough to see it ruled out by VAR.
The Blues responded by forcing a string of excellent saves from Emiliano Martínez, with the World Cup-winning goalkeeper most notably keeping out Cole Palmer following a loose pass from Clément Lenglet.
That trend continued as the first half progressed, and the Stamford Bridge faithful were left in disbelief that Noni Madueke was unable to tap into an almost-open net after Palmer slid it across the face of goal.
Villa struggled to play out against the high press of the home side, and Benoît Badiashile’s failure to head either side of Martínez capped off a half of dominance but wastefulness as Mauricio Pochettino’s men looked for a sixth win in their last seven competitive outings.
The second period began at an electric pace, and Palmer was in the thick of the action again, striking wide on the volley.
The 6,000 strong away support roared their side on from the Shed End, and their side gradually got a foothold in the game.
With the hosts tiring having played just three days previously, Villa sensed an opportunity to snatch it in the final 20 minutes, calling Đorđe Petrović into action through Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash, before Ezri Konsa flashed wide with regulation time running out.
The pressure grew greater and greater on Chelsea, and they were under the cosh right up to the final whistle, but just as the visitors had done in the first half, they held on.
The result means the sides will face off again in Birmingham next month, as Villa look to take advantage of an excellent season to make it to the fifth round for the first time since they were FA Cup runners-up in 2015.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa)
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