1. DENIS ZAKARIA (7.6)

Denis Zakaria had to wait a good long while to make his Chelsea debut ... and then he had to wait a bit longer to make his Premier League debut, which he did in our first game back from the World Cup. That performance in the 2-0 win (WIN!?) against Bournemouth earned a fair bit of praise, but it did not meet Denis’s own expectations. He vowed to do better.

“I think my performance should be better. I wasn’t happy with my performance actually, but we won, that’s the most important thing. And let’s work for the next game now. I’m really happy (to play), it’s great to get some minutes in the legs, it’s important for me. I have to work, and it’s going to be better with time.”

-Denis Zakaria, ten days ago

We didn’t have to wait too long to see that improvement! Love to see that.

Also, this was poetry:

2. THIAGO SILVA (7.2)

When in doubt, vote Thiago Silva. Let’s enjoy him in a Chelsea shirt as long as we can.

3. CARNEY CHUKWUEMEKA (7.0, sub)

The youth of today: the stars of tomorrow.

vs. MANCHESTER CITY (PL, H, L 0-1)

EXCEPTIONAL (9.0+): —

EXCELLENT (8.0-8.9): —

GOOD (7.0-7.9): Zakaria (7.6), Silva (7.2), Chukwuemeka (7.0, sub)

AVERAGE (6.0-6.9): Kovačić (6.7), Hall (6.7, sub), Gallagher (6.2, sub), Koulibaly (6.1)

POOR (5.0-5.9): Azpilicueta (5.9), Havertz (5.8), Ziyech (5.5), Hutchinson (5.4, sub), Arrizabalaga (5.3), Pulisic (5.1)

BAD (4.0-4.9): Cucurella (4.7), Sterling (4.6)

TERRIBLE (3.0-3.9): Aubameyang (3.5, sub)

OVERALL