Alex Moreno is still a newcomer to the Premier League after completing a move to Aston Villa in the January transfer window, having spent all of his previous career in his homeland Spain, most recently during a four-year spell with Real Betis.

However, Moreno has been getting up to speed quickly, making his Aston Villa debut just two days after joining the club and featuring in all nine of their fixtures since.

In contrast, Ben Chilwell arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2020, but following three months out of action over the winter due to injury, the England international’s return to the fold since early February has felt almost like a new signing for the Blues, and like his opponent he has been involved in every one of his team’s matches since that comeback in the draw at Fulham.

Flying full-backs

Chilwell and Moreno are both players who like to combine their defensive responsibilities with attacking ambition, venturing forward to make an impact in the final third of the pitch, especially in the Chelsea man’s case, with Graham Potter opting for a wing-back system in our last three Premier League matches.

That slightly freer role for Chilwell was demonstrated when he volleyed in his stunning second goal of the season in our last away trip, as he returned to former club Leicester City in a 3-1 win, adding to the one he scored against West Ham United back before his injury, in September.

Those two goals are an impressive return from his three shots on target, out of a total of nine efforts. Although he is still awaiting his first goal in English football, Moreno’s shooting statistics aren’t too far away from Chilwell’s otherwise, finding the target with two of his seven attempts.

Things are pretty even when it comes to making chances for others. They have both registered two assists in the Premier League this season, with both of the Spaniard’s giving Villa the lead over London opposition – Arsenal and West Ham – although they ultimately failed to win either of those games. Chilwell’s chances in this area are boosted by being a regular set-piece taker for Chelsea, as demonstrated by the most recent of his two assists, when his corner was headed in by Wesley Fofana to give us a 1-0 win at Leeds United.

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It remains a tight contest through other similar statistics, as Chilwell narrowly edges the key passes with 11 to 10, but they have both found a team-mate with five of their crosses and Moreno has the slightly better crossing accuracy, with 26 per cent to 19 per cent.

Where a difference in style begins to become apparent is when you look at how they use possession, as the Blues wing-back has completed nearly twice as many passes (408 to 209), while the Villa man has beaten an opponent with a dribble on significantly more occasions (14 to five).

Chilly gives wingers the cold shoulder

It is in the two players’ defensive contributions that Chilwell seems to have a clear advantage, though, with impressive statistics right across the board.

The England international’s 12 wins of possession with tackles is double Moreno’s six – although their tackle success rate is closer than that would suggest, at 75 per cent to 67 per cent – and the margin is even wider when it comes to interceptions, as Chilwell’s 13 dwarves the Spaniard’s three.

That doesn’t mean the Spaniard shies away from getting stuck in, though, as you can tell by his 13 fouls committed and two yellow cards since arriving in the Premier League – compared to eight fouls and one yellow for Chilwell this season – and he has also blocked three shots more.