1. THIBAUT COURTOIS | 7.4 |
Minutes played90
Touches43
Passes27/40
Saves2
As it's so often been the case in Chelsea draws and losses since the inception of these community player ratings, it's the goalkeeper who tends to end up at the top or at least near the top of the pile.
That certainly speaks to the strength of the position at Chelsea over the years, from well before Čech, to just before Čech, to Čech himself, and now to Čech's successor, Thibaut Courtois.
And while we got a strong reminder just how good Čech was and still is with his 1-v-1 save on Pedro and his catch on Eden Hazard's shot and Moses's cross, with Courtois in the fold, Chelsea should be set for a long time — now just need to sort out that contract extension, right?
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2. TIEMOUÉ BAKAYOKO | 7.3 |
Minutes played45
Touches25
Passes17/17
Shots0/1
Take-ons3/3
Unfortunately, Bakayoko was not chosen to start the game, and his early introduction at half-time might have had as much to do with Pedro's injury as with Chelsea's need to exert some control over proceedings, but whatever the reason, once the 23-year-old came on, the balance of play swung decidedly in Chelsea's direction.
While Bakayoko is still coming to terms with Conte's tactics and style — he did not solve Chelsea's struggles in build-up, for example, though he did enable Fàbregas to drop deep and play in a Pirlo-esque role eventually to help with that — he offers something in midfield that none of our other options can. In fact, we haven't seen his combination skill and strength and speed since probably Michael Essien. And that should make you very excited (if you aren't already) for the future.
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3. EDEN HAZARD | 7.1 |
Minutes played21
Touches25
Passes12/15
Shots1/1
Take-ons2/3
Fouls drawn3
Another man who, once fully healthy, will make Chelsea a much bigger force to be reckoned with — especially in games against other top sides that are likely to be decided by small margins and individual skill at opportune moments.
Hazard almost decided this game with one such moment, too, in his 20+ minutes of action, but unfortunately his shot was just a bit too close to Čech and thus was able to be saved.
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STARTERS:
Courtois (7.4), Cahill (5.8), David Luiz (5.7), Azpilicueta (6.9), Alonso (5.9), Kanté (6.8), Fàbregas (5.8), Moses (6.0), Pedro (5.4), Morata (6.0), Willian (5.6)
SUBS:
Bakayoko (7.3), Hazard (7.1), Christensen (6.4)