Arsenal v Chelsea player ratings
Chelsea suffered a demoralising defeat against Arsenal after going 2-0 down inside 15 minutes. Here’s how we rated the players in the 3-0 loss at the Emirates.
Thibaut Courtois: 5
The Belgian could not be faulted for any of the goals and his shot-stopping was impressive on a couple of occasions, but his reluctance to come off his line to sweep and command his area spread panic to an already chaotic defence.
Branislav Ivanovic: 4
A woeful display from the Serbian, who gave the ball away regularly and neither helped in attack or provided any sort of defensive stability. Improved to average after playing in a back three but the damage was done by then.
Gary Cahill: 5
A shocking mistake led to Arsenal’s opener and he was slow to recognise the danger for the third goal. Made a couple of important blocks and at least he makes it abundantly clear how much it means to him even if he is not playing well.
David Luiz: 5
Looked unflustered and decent with the ball even when things were going wrong all around him. But was still part of a shambolic early effort.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
One of the few players to match the zip and sharpness shown by the Arsenal side. Played with tempo and provided support in attack throughout. But his lack of confidence on his left side was all too evident – and the absurdity of continuing to play him out of position became even more obvious when he switched to play as a right wing-back.
N’Golo Kante: 5
With the game stretched he was often bypassed and therefore over-eager to nip in and win possession. That tendency exposed the back four on a couple of occasions as was shown for the third goal which effectively settled the match.
Nemanja Matic: 5
Deserves some credit for at least bringing some urgency and looking to make things happen after the interval but like all his midfield colleagues he was simply outplayed.
Willian: 5
The Brazilian did at least look sharp and lively but wasted several promising situations, notably when passing up a great shooting chance in the first half.
Cesc Fabregas: 5
Like most of his team-mates, was largely anonymous as Chelsea were over-run for big chunks of the first half and, try as he did, he was unable to influence the match after the break before being replaced.
Eden Hazard: 4
Too slow to track back and didn’t show the usual sort of commitment and total desire to support Diego Costa in attack. He has made himself an easy target because of his casual demeanour – often unfairly – but he has to do better than this.
Diego Costa: 7
Starved of possession and chances, he still managed to impress when he did have the ball. The Spain striker made numerous decent breaks and held the ball up effectively, but he needs much more from his team-mates.
Marcos Alonso: 6
Did okay after coming on to play as a left wing-back. His lack of pace is a concern but the balance he brings and his obvious ability on the ball makes a huge difference.
