Chelsea Player Ratings: Eden Hazard head and shoulders above everyone else

Funny how things can change, day-to-day, game-to-game.  Following one of the best midfield displays on the season against Sporting, Chelsea showcased some of our worst midfield play in some time.  Quite possibly the worst since re-signing Nemanja Matić 12 months ago.  Fortunately, it was just Hull.

Additionally, crucially, Eden Hazard's performance swung back the other way, too.  After sub- and near-6 ratings in two of his last three games -- and a subsequent vacation meant to recharge the batteries -- Hazard was at some of his best, scoring the first goal and creating the second.  With the festive schedule looming, Hazard's first Man of the Match award in six games (the longest stretch of the season without one) couldn't have come at a better time.

Speaking of being back to some of their best, Diego Costa scored his first goal in five games, which, if you're Diego, constitutes an extreme drought.  But now the drought's over, he's supposedly back to full fitness, sharpness ... something-ness.  So all is well.

Really wish he'd stop trying to dribble around so much though.  Sure, sometimes he'll bully his way past a couple.  But pass-n-move.  Back to basics.

And maybe jump for a header every once in a while?

If we were to order players in terms of effort and work rate from Saturday's game, Ivanović would be at or certainly right near the top.  As the man with the most amount of minutes played for Chelsea in the last two and a half years (if not longer), we should expect nothing less.

Bane made a name for himself at Chelsea and elsewhere first as a center back, then as a defensive-minded right back, and most recently as an attacking wingback.  Not your every day career path, that's for sure.