1. BILLY GILMOUR (7.7)

To the surprise of no one, young Billy Gilmour is the overwhelming choice for Man of the Match, and there’s probably no real argument against that. First start in almost five months, and not looking out of place at all — albeit in what was a very disjointed performance overall from the Blues.

But while I don’t normally comment on the votes themselves, these player ratings once again underline that they are more a reflection of sentiment rather than actual performance — not that I or we have ever claimed otherwise, but it’s good to have a stark reminder every once in a while.

Gilmour’s obviously deserving of his accolade, but was he really that much better or impactful than the rest? Not so sure about that. Meanwhile, at the other end, were Kepa, Emerson, and Tammy that much worse than the rest? Kepa conceded a goal that he could do nothing about (shot well placed, shielded by Christensen). Emerson was the lone source of any threat from the left (with more passes leading to a shot than anyone else) while Tammy was practically a one-man offense in the second half (leading all players in shot attempts as well).

It was a low-stakes match with aggressively average performances all around befitting the glorified training exercise of the occasion. Funnily enough, it is still Kepa’s highest rated performance of the season!

Vote responsibly.

2. TINO ANJORIN (6.8)

Again, none of that is meant to take away from the great day out for the two youngsters. Neither Gilmour nor Anjorin were cowed by the occasion, and while we should expect that from the former after his performances last season, it was great to see the same from Anjorin as well.

3. N’GOLO KANTÉ (6.7, sub)

When in doubt, vote N’Golo.

vs. KRASNODAR (CL, H, D 1-1)

EXCEPTIONAL (9.0+): —

EXCELLENT (8.0-8.9): —

GOOD (7.0-7.9): Gilmour (7.7)

AVERAGE (6.0-6.9): Anjorin (6.8), Kanté (6.7, sub), Werner (6.6, sub), Azpilicueta (6.4), Kovačić (6.4), Rüdiger (6.4), Havertz (6.3), Giroud (6.3, sub), Jorginho (6.2), Christensen (6.2)

POOR (5.0-5.9): Arrizabalaga (5.8), Emerson (5.8), Abraham (5.5)

BAD (4.0-4.9): —

TERRIBLE (3.0-3.9): —

OVERALL