Hello Elisha. Presuming that the original battery didn't hold a charge well but still worked to a certain degree, I would suggest re-installing it to see if the phone still works. That would help you determine if the replacement battery is defective or not.
When you say "''without damaging any components''", are you referring to the small SMD components surrounding the battery connector or the major modules like screen, camera etc. ? There are 13 components that can be very easily damaged or dislodged while disconnecting the battery connector. Some of them are very critical or they can move around causing short circuits. They are also very small, typically 1 mil X 0.5 mil, almost indistinguishable from dust. If you are not specifically looking for them, they are easy to miss. Please inspect the connector area with magnification to see if anything is amiss.