Aston Villa coach Dean Smith has praised Marvelous Nakamba’s performance in their defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last night.

Nakamba returned to the Birmingham-based outfit’s starting eleven after missing the last two games and fared well in a star-studded Chelsea midfield comprising of N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic.

He made five successful tackles, three clearances, three interceptions and a successful pass rate of 92 percent, leaving Smith impressed.

“I thought Naka had a really good performance, he broke things up and used the ball well.” Smith told the club’s website.