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In a little over 24 hours, we've received over 750 submissions to the community player ratings form in the initial reaction post to Chelsea vs. Hull City. This is more than any one match last year and quite possibly the most all-time. Clearly, we're all very excited for the new season.
So, rather than wait for the more sporadic updates like last year and to repay your turnout at the polls, let's have a quick rundown of the results - highlighting the three players whom you rated the highest:
| 1. OSCAR - AMC | 8.3 |
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Minutes played83
Touches75
Passes47/58
"Chances created"3
Take-ons1/2
Shots1*/3
Clearances4
Starting in place of Juan Mata in the center of Chelsea's attacking band, Oscar showcased his well-rounded game for all to see and garnered your Man of the Match award.
Thirteen minutes into the new season, with Hull City's defense in scramble mode, Oscar peeled off the shoulder of his marker and thanks to a quick first step or two, got his toes to the ball before goalkeeper Allan McGregor arrived on the scene. It finished off a lovely team move, one hopefully indicative of what we will get to look forward to regularly in the Second Mourinho Era, but it still needed finishing (right, Edin "Eight shots, zero goals" Dzeko?) so Oscar deserves his win in the polls just for that.
In addition, his 75 touches led all attackers and he put in a noticeable shift defensively as well. Especially in the opening third of the match, the Hazard - Oscar - De Bruyne combination was as good if not better than the vaunted "MaZaCar." And if we consider that the 21-year-old Brazilian has now been playing football continuously since the Pleistocene, his enthusiastic performance becomes even more impressive.
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| 2. FRANK LAMPARD - MC | 8.0 |
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Minutes played90
Touches85
Passes61/71
"Chances created"2
Crosses3/3
Shots1*/6
And to think, we almost let him leave.
As it's been the case for most of the last two seasons, Lampard was deployed in a position deeper than it was ever thought possible once upon a time. And with his partner Ramires playing a tad bit more composed than normal and facing Tigers that lacked any real bite, Lampard was more than adequate on the day. His 85 touches actually led all Chelsea players, harkening back to an era where most anything that the Blues did on the pitch flowed through the now 35-year-old Vice Captain.
And then there's that wonderful free kick, the power and the swerve leaving McGregor flapping at air and making up for the earlier lackluster penalty kick effort. Lampard's goal vaulted the Blues into a 2-0 lead, and that's not a sort of thing we're ever likely to relinquish in this new-old era - and how refreshing is that!
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| 3. KEVIN DE BRUYNE - AMR | 7.8 |
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Minutes played66
Touches51
Passes29*/35
"Chances created"2
Take-ons1/1
Crosses0/4
Shots0/3
After an impressive preseason when he often played as a central attacking midfielder, it was on the right wing that the the 22-year-old Belgian made his first official Chelsea appearance. He wasn't much of a traditional winger of course, often coming inside to cause havoc alongside Oscar & Hazard. It was in fact with one of these forays that he set up Oscar for the first goal, receiving the ball from Eden Hazard and teleporting it through the Hull City defender's legs.
Withdrawn on 66 minutes, the rest of De Bruyne's contributions aren't eye-popping, but we love all the Belgians so it feels quite nice to name him third star on his Chelsea debut.
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OTHERS:
Cech (7.4), Ivanovic (7.3), Cahill (7.1), Terry (7.2), A.Cole (6.9), Ramires (7.5), Hazard (7.5), Torres (6.6)
SUBS:
Schürrle (6.6), Lukaku (6.4), Van Ginkel (6.2)
BONUS VIDEO: Highlights of Oscar from his Man of the Match performance: