The Brazil international scored shortly after coming off the bench in his first appearance 63 days after signing for the Blues, while he had a hand in two more goals

Alexandre Pato marked his long-awaited Chelsea debut with a goal as the Blues won 4-0 to leave crisis club Aston Villa teetering on the brink of relegation at the end of a miserable week.

Having parted company with manager Remi Garde on Tuesday, and then seen Gabriel Agbonlahor suspended amid an investigation into his conduct, interim boss Eric Black presided over a limp performance at a frustrated Villa Park, where supporters voiced their anger and despair and displayed banners venting their feelings.

On the pitch, Ruben Loftus-Cheek's first Premier League goal gave Chelsea the lead before Pato's introduction for his maiden Chelsea appearance following his signing in January.

The Brazilian soon converted a penalty he won himself and he was also instrumental in the second half, combining with countryman Oscar to create two goals for Pedro, as the Blues' slender hopes of a top-six finish were given a boost.

Alan Hutton's late sending off ended a dismal afternoon on another low note for Villa, who have suffered seven defeats in a row for a second time this season.

With Gary Cahill and John Terry both ruled out with minor injuries, Chelsea handed a debut to 20-year-old defender Matt Miazga, while Micah Richards and Carlos Sanchez returned to the Villa side.

The hosts have endured heavy criticism from supporters for a perceived lack of effort this season, but Carles Gil sought to energise his side with a number of surging runs forward in a tepid opening.

At the other end, Pedro turned smartly to create the space to shoot from 20 yards and his bending effort was only just wide of Brad Guzan's goal.

A knock for Loic Remy saw the Frenchman replaced by Pato after 22 minutes, and a few moments later the visitors took the lead.

John Obi Mikel's quick feet pulled Villa apart in midfield and Chelsea shifted the play out to Cesar Azpilicueta, whose low cross was side-footed into the net by Loftus-Cheek via a slight deflection off Joleon Lescott.

Villa almost hit back when Gil latched onto Jordan Ayew's pass and arrowed in a shot from a tight angle, but Thibaut Courtois was equal to it and made a diving save.

There were further chances for Villa to level matters, but the game drifted out of their reach in first-half injury time when Aly Cissokho wrestled Pato to the ground in the area and the Brazilian lashed his penalty beyond Guzan.

The introduction of Oscar further galvanised Chelsea after the break, and he combined brilliantly with Pato to set up Pedro, who slammed home from close range a minute after the restart.

As Villa fans held up a banner that read 'No fight, no pride, no effort, no hope', their players offered little to challenge the accuracy of those statements, and Chelsea soon made it 4-0 when Guzan could only palm Pato's shot into the path of Pedro, who gladly netted his second of the game.

Just as it looked as bad as it could get for Villa, Hutton was dismissed late on for a challenge on Loftus-Cheek that earned him a second yellow card, and a late chance for Ayew went begging along with any remaining shreds of hope Villa fans might have had of staying up this season.

•  

   

  It was a convincing and comprehensive display by the champions, who in all truth never had to step up into a higher gear in order to cruise to victory today, with Loftus-Cheek, Pato and Pedro grabbing the goals. Villa were truly awful, and seem to have already accepted their predicament of being relegated to the Championship - and there may well be a real threat that they could get stranded in the second division - or potentially drop down even further, if serious changes are not made to this squad.
•  

   

  Well, that’s all we’ve got time for this afternoon. Until next time, thank you and good bye!
•  

   

  FULL TIME! That’s all from Villa Park this afternoon, where it as finished Aston Villa 0-4 Chelsea! The hosts’ were terrible today, in front of a sparsely populated and dejected Villa Park, and the club could now be relegated as early as next weekend.
• 90'

   

  There will be a minimum of three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this game, the fourth official has indicated.
• 87'

   

  Yellow Card Ashley Westwood
  Another yellow card now for Villa, as Ashley Westwood goes into the book for a late tackle on Oscar.
• 85'

   

  Yellow/Red Alan Hutton
  Well, Villa’s luck can indeed get worse, as Alan Hutton picks up a second yellow card for a late lunge on Loftus-Cheek, and duly makes his way down the tunnel.
• 82'

   

  SubstitutionIdrissa Gana Gueye Jordan Lyden
  Another substitution now for the hosts, as Gueye is replaced by Jordan Lyden.
• 81'

   

  How bad can Villa's luck get? Cissokho does well to drive down the left and drill a low cross towards the near post. Azpilicueta clearly deflects the ball out of play, but the official deems that it should be a goal kick for the visitors.
• 78'

   

  Yellow Card Alan Hutton
  Another chance now for the visitors, as they win a free-kick 30 yards from goal out on the left, which Hutton picks up a booking for. Ivanovic tries his luck with a low strike, but Guzan is able to get down and make the save.
• 76'

   

  Close! Good play from Villa, as Ayew is played in-behind and slides a cross towards Gestede. The former Blackburn striker lunges to get on the end of the delivery, but he is just unable to make contact.
• 74'

   

  SubstitutionPedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma Jake Clarke-Salter
  A final change now for Chelsea, as Pedro makes way for Jake Clarke-Salter, who makes his debut.
• 71'

   

  No penalty! Huge appeals from the Villa faithful as Grealish takes a tumble in the area under pressure from Azpilicueta. It was a clumsy tackle from the Spain international, but in all truth the Villa youngster did appear to try and con the referee, who was having none of it.
• 69'

   

  CHANCE! That should have been a goal for Villa! Grealish does brilliantly to power his way into the area and drill a low cross to the back post, but somehow, both Ayew and Getsede fail to make the gamble and the chance goes amiss.
• 67'

   

  SubstitutionCarlos Alberto Sánchez Moreno Leandro Bacuna
  Well, astonishing scenes here as Leandro Bacuna makes his way onto the pitch after replacing Carlos Sanchez. The Dutch midfielder was quoted in the week as saying he wished to play Champions League football, and the Villa fans have understandably elected to air their frustration with the player by booing his arrival into the fray here today.
• 66'

   

  SubstitutionCarles Gil de Pareja Vicent Jack Grealish
  The first change sees Carles Gil make way for Jack Grealish.
• 65'

   

  Eric Black has prepared some changes now for the hosts, to at least attempt to inspire some spark and life into his dejected side...
• 63'

   

  Once again, Villa work a move forward but as soon as they manage to forge some space in the final third, their players fail to find an incisive pass and can only go backwards, before Cissokho carelessly gives the ball away to Azpilicueta, and Chelsea are able to counter...
• 61'

   

  Yellow Card Carlos Alberto Sánchez Moreno
  A yellow card now for Sanchez, as the powerful Colombia midfielder picks up a booking for a cynical foul on Loftus-Cheek, who had got the better of the former Elche man.
• 60'

   

  The hosts are completely dejected, with Chelsea finding it so easy to run rings around their opposition, who are heading down into the Championship with a whimper...
• 59'

   

   

   

  Goal Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma
  GOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!! Chelsea make it 4-0!! What an error that is from Guzan, who spills a tame strike from Pato straight into the path of the onrushing Pedro, who has the easy task of nudging the ball home into an empty net and grab his second goal of the game. What a disastrous afternoon this is turning into for the hosts and Eric Black.
• 56'

   

  A corner now for Villa down the left, as the hosts attempt to at least muster some form of a comeback in this game. Gil floats in the in-swinging cross towards the head of Lescott, but the former Premier League winner cannot make contact with his header and Chelsea are able to clear.
• 53'

   

  While Chelsea have found it so easy this afternoon, a victory today cannot mask what has been a terrible season for them. They have only finished outside of the top three once in the last decade - in 2011/12 when they won the Champions League - and, while the rebuilding job on their hands pales in comparison to that of Villa’s - they still have a lot of work to do if they are to get back to the level their owner demands.
• 50'

   

  GOOD EFFORT! That’s unlucky for Ayew, who chests a long pass from deep down before thumping  a strike at goal on the half-volley. It dips and swerves in the air, but not enough to beat Courtois, who is well-posiitoned to make the save.
• 48'

   

  Almost! Oscar has had an immediate impact after coming on, and having already set up Pedro for that third goal, he then elects to test Guzan with a stinging, driven effort. The Villa goalkeeper spills the initial save, but manages to recover just in time to prevent Pedro tapping in the rebound.
• 46'

   

  Assist Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior
  Oscar had only been on the pitch for under a minute, but he showed all of his quality there by combining superbly with Pato before teeing up Pedro, who never looked likely to miss.
• 46'

   

   

   

  Goal Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma
  GOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!! Pedro makes it 3-0 to Chelsea, just 48 seconds onto the second half! Pato is at the heart of it as he links up expertly with Oscar, who drives to the byline before hammering a low cross into Pedro, who duly slots home from close-range.
• 46'

   

  SubstitutionRobert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior
  We are back under way here at Villa Park, as Chelsea - who have made one change at the interval, with Oscar replacing his compatriot Kenedy - get the game back up and running in the second half.
•  

   

  Chelsea have never really had to get out of first gear so far in this game, and when their first goal was scored with astonishing ease - John Obi-Mikel working a simple move out wide before Loftus-Cheek got on the end of Azpilicueta’s low ball into the box. Villa had looked to regain some momentum as the half wore on, with Andre Ayew and Carles Gil both going close, but their efforts proved for naught as Pato was fouled in the area by Cissokho, with the ex-AC Milan star coolly stepping up to net on his debut.
•  

   

  Half-time! That’s it for the first half at Villa Park, where Chelsea, thanks to a goal from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and a penalty from Alexandre Pato - on his debut - have taken a commanding 2-0 lead heading into the interval. Villa have, in all truth, not played terribly going forward, but their defending has once again been woeful.
• 45'+3'

   

   

   

  Penalty Goal Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva
  GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!! PATO SCORES ON HIS DEBUT! The Brazil striker, having won the spot-kick, clay steps up to hammer home a venomous strike into the left-hand side of the net. Guzman got his fingertips to it, but there was just too much power on the shot. Aston Villa 0-2 Cheslea!
• 45'+2'

   

  Yellow Card Aly Cissokho
  PENALTY TO CHELSEA!!! Well, what a bizarre decision by Cissokho, who decides to wrestle Pato to the ground in the box. The former Lyon defender could easily have seen red, but the referee lets him escape with just a  booking...
• 45'

   

  There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half, as Villa look to try and muster one final chance before the interval...
• 43'

   

  SO CLOSE! Sharp play from Loftus-Cheek, who nips in ahead of Gueye to regain possession right on the cusp of Villa’s penalty area. He takes one touch to set himself up before attempting to slide a finish into the right-hand corner, but he fails to generate any curl on the ball and it inches just wide.
• 41'

   

  CHANCE! Great work from Ayew, who has impressed in the first half at Villa Park. The former Lorient forward weaves his way through the Chelsea defence, before eventually engineering some space for a shot from the edge of the six-yard box, but he slips at the vital moment and the effort trickles inches wide of the upright.
• 40'

   

  Once again, Villa manage to work their way forward but as soon as they get to the final third, their players seemingly freeze and the move breaks down. It is so frustrating for the home faithful...
• 37'

   

  GOOD STOP! As far as Villa’s season goes, it was rather summed up in that spell of play then. Initially, the hosts’ move breaks down after the referee inadvertently blocks Gestede’s pass into the path of Pato, who immediately sets Chelsea way. Fabregas drives forward and slips a neat reverse into Baba, who finds himself free in the penalty area but, rather than pick out Pato who was unmarked in the centre of the box, the full-back elects to go for goal and can only hammer a low strike straight into Guzan, who gets down low to make the save.
• 34'

   

  SAVE! Ayew is the one who takes it, looping a curling effort up and over the wall. It is destined for the top corner, but it does not have enough pace to evade the firm grasp of Courtois, who got across to make a comfortable stop.
• 33'

   

  Risky play from Fabregas, who is rather fortunate to escape a second booking in quick succession after he dives in on Ayew right on the edge of the area, Ayew, Gueye and Gil stand over the set-piece, 20 yards from goal…
• 31'

   

  CHANCE!!! Awful defending - from Chelsea this time! The  visitors are hopeless to prevent Gil winding his way through their defence before drilling a low effort goalwards, which Courtois does well to save. The rebound falls out to Baba, who bizarrely takes a touch before trying to clear under pressure from Ayew. The Ghanaian blocks the clearance, and the deflection could easily have gone anywhere, but fortunately for Hiddink’s side it bounces into the grass of their goalkeeper.
• 29'

   

  Yellow Card Francesc Fàbregas i Soler
  And, there is also a booking for Fàbregas, who goes into the book for antagonsing Gueye.
• 28'

   

  Yellow Card Idrissa Gana Gueye
  A brief flashpoint now, as Gueye kicks out at Fabregas after the Spaniard had complained about a tackle by the former Lille midfielder, who recieves a yellow card for his reaction.
• 26'

   

  Assist César Azpilicueta Tanco
  It was a well-wroked move by the visitors, as they did well to manouver the ball out to César Azpilicueta, who put it on a plate for Loftus-Cheek to drill home from close-range. However, having said that, the Villa defending was terrible, as it has been so many times this season.
• 26'

   

   

   

  Goal Ruben Loftus-Cheek
  GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!! That’s so easy for Chelsea! Mikel does well to work his way past three Villa midfielders with a nifty bit of footwork, before sliding the ball out to Pedro, who in turn winds it out to Azpilicueta. The former Marseille man drills in a low cross, and Loftus-Cheek is duly on hand to slot home - with the help of a deflection off Lescott.
• 23'

   

  SubstitutionLoïc Rémy Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva
  A first change of the game now, as Remy hobbles off the pitch with an injury. And, his replacement is Alexandre Pato who, 63 days after signing for the club on loan from Corinthians, makes his long-awaited debut. This is his first appearance for any club since November last year.
• 21'

   

  It’s been a rather comfortable debut so far for Miazga, who was awarded the United States Young Player of the Year gong last term following his fine form for the New York Red Bulls. However, the youngster loses out here as Gestede easily beats him to a header, which Ayew latches onto. The Ghana striker weaves his way past Azpilicueta before hammering an effort goalwards, but Baba gets across to make the block.
• 19'

   

  Disallowed! That was close! Fabregas picks out Pedro with an exquisite pass, with the ex-Barcelona forward taking a superb first touch before slotting home a neat finish past Guzan, but the goal is correctly ruled-out for offside.
• 17'

   

  The game has returned to a slower pace once again, in the last few moments, with Villa managing to work a patient move forward that eventually results in Gestede knocking it down into the path of Hutton. The Scotland full-back tries his luck on the half-volley, but he shanks his effort horribly and it trickles through harmlessly to Courtois.
• 14'

   

  Villa win a corner, which Westwood drifts in from the left, but the cross is a poor one and Courtois collects it with ease. The Belgium goalkeeper gets the counter-attack underway with a long throw out to Kenedy, who drives infield before attempting to thread a throughball into the path of the onrushing Loftus-Cheek, but the Brazilian overhits his pass and the chance goes begging.
• 12'

   

  ALMOST! Great play by Loftus-Cheek, as the youngster uses his power and pace to get the better of Lescott and win a corner down the right. The cross is floated into the box from Fabregas, but Richards manages to head it clear, though only as far as Pedro. The Spain winger adjusts his feet before curling an effort at goal, but it floats just over the crossbar.
• 10'

   

  CLOSE! That was an opportunity for Villa, as Richards gets on the end of the resulting free-kick. The ex-Manchester City defender is unmarked, but he cannot direct his header on target and Courtois is able to make an easy save.
• 9'

   

  A half-chance for Villa now, that they ultimately manage to squander. Gil charges forward at pace, sliding in a pass to Ayew, who cannot manage to flick a return pass into the path of the aforementioned Spaniard thanks to a block from Azpilicueta. However, Villa do manage to win a free-kick immediately after, as Fabregeas is pulled back for handball...
• 7'

   

  No chances to speak of as of yet, as Chelsea are able to get on the ball and dictate the tempo. Kenedy does well as he attempts to inject some pace into proceedings, before Mikel floats a drifting pass over to Baba on the left, but the former Augsburg full-back is unable to keep the ball in play.
• 5'

   

  Villa have won just three of their 31 Premier League fixtures this season, and have lost seven of their last eight top-flight meetings with Chelsea. The have scored less, and conceded more, than any other club in the league this campaign, and for all their problems off the pitch, their struggles on it are purely down to the players not being up to par.
• 3'

   

  Both these sides find themselves in the strange position of having very little to play for in the remainder of this campaign, and that has been reflected by a rather experimental line-up for the visitors by Guus Hiddink, who is still undefeated in the Premier League during his second spell at the club. One of those players to come in today is Loftus-Cheek, and the England U-21 midfielder has already being involved with Chelsea’s build-up play, dropping deep alongside Fabregas to kick-start a move which results in a corner down the right, but the set-piece comes to nothing.
• 1'

   

  KICK-OFF! We are under way here at Villa Park, where the hosts - who have won just two of their Last 16 Premier League matches at home - get proceedings up and running, with Gil nudging it back to Sanchez, who immediately looks to go long towards Ayew, but Ivanovic cuts it out.
•  

   

  Well, after 28 years in the top-flight, Villa are potentially just two games away from being relegated. Their position does look truly hopeless, and that is reflected by a sparsely-populated Villa Park for this lunchtime kick-off. It is a sorry state of affairs at was is an incredibly large club in English football, but ultimately they are paying the price for a series of poor seasons and purr decisions at board level in regards to both management and player recruitment.
•  

   

  Chelsea substitutes: Begovic, Oscar, Falcao, Pato, Traore, Matic, Clarke-Salter.
•  

   

  Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Miazga, Baba; Fabregas, Obi Mikel; Pedro, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy; Remy.
•  

   

  Aston Villa substitutes: Okore, Bacuna, Sinclair, Veretout, Bunn, Lyden, Grealish.
•  

   

  Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Cissokho; Sanchez, Westwood, Gueye; Gil, Gestede, Ayew.
•  

   

  TEAM NEWS…
•  

   

  The team news is in now from Villa Park, with the hosts making just the two changes from the line up that lost to Swansea City last time out. In come Micah Richards and Carlos Sanchez, with Ciaran Clark and Jordan Veretout dropping out, while Gabriel Agbonlahor has been suspended from the squad amidst an on-going investigation about a trip to Dubai where he was pictures smoking from a shisha pipe. Meanwhile, the major news for Chelsea is that both John Terry and Gary Cahill miss out through injury, meaning that the United States youngster Matt Miazga comes in to make his debut alongside Bratislav Ivanovic. The other two changes see Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Pedro replace Oscar and Willian respectively, with Baba Rahman filling the void at left-back with Cesar Azpilicueta having moved to the opposite flank.
•  

   

  Chelsea, on the other hand, have stalled somewhat in recent weeks after Guus Hiddink had overseen their mini-revival following a disastrous first half of the campaign. After crashing out of both the Champions League and FA Cup, they had to rely on a last-gasp Cesc Fabregas penalty to earn them a point against high-flying West Ham at Stamford Bridge last time out. The West London club sit in 10th place, three points behind ninth-placed Liverpool and nine adrift of the Manchester United in sixth, and while Europa League qualification is still a possibility, it seems highly likely that they will not be featuring in either of the European competitions in 2016/17. 
•  

   

  Villa, who come into this fixture having lost their last six matches, can still, mathematically at least, beat the drop, though it seems almost certain that they will be playing their football in the Championship next season, and they are currently nine points adrift of 19th-placed Newcastle United, with a high possibility that the club could be relegated as early as next week. Caretaker boss Eric Black will take charge of the first team in the wake of Garde’s departure - at least until a more permanent replacement is appointed, with David Moyes and Nigel Pearson both highly-touted to take the helm.
•  

   

  Hello and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this LIVE coverage of Aston Villa’s clash with Chelsea in the Premier League. The Villains called time on Remi Garde’s spell at the club earlier this week, after the Frenchman managed just two victories over the course of 20 league games in charge at Villa Park, and they will be hoping that change can spark life into what seems to be an already doomed campaign. Meanwhile, the visitors are looking to get their season back on track and look to end a run of four games without a win. Stick right here for all the action from what promises to be another enthralling encounter in England’s top-flight...