Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood says he was pleased with the performance and work rate of his Ghanaian striker Jordan Ayew after the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Villa’s woes continue this season after another defeat, with a Diego Costa strike and an own goal from Alan Hutton giving Chelsea a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Saturday’s result means that Villa have won just once in nine league games this season, and the pressure is certainly mounting on Sherwood, with Villa rooted in the bottom three of the Premier League table.

Whilst Sherwood is feeling the heat at Villa Park, but he did actually praise the summer signing Jordan Ayew following the game.

“He did well too. He left nothing on the pitch. He had to come off at the end or he would have died of exhaustion.

That’s the type of lad he is. I think that goes for every player that we had out there. I don’t think they lacked any desire or effort,” he added.

The Ghanaian international hasn’t found the back of the net for Villa yet having arrived from Lorient, but Sherwood hailed the 24-year-old’s work rate against Chelsea.