Krasnodar v Chelsea player ratings
Chelsea romped to victory against FK Krasnodar in the second game of their Champions League campaign. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 4-0 win in South Russia.
Edoaurd Mendy: 7
He made a first-rate save to keep out Daniil Utkin’s well-directed low strike from the edge of the box and was confident and talkative throughout, making a noteable contribution to Chelsea keeping a third consecutive clean sheet.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8
It is to Azpilicueta’s continuing credit that he managed to get game time and impress in doing so while competing for a place with prodigiously talent Reece James. The Spaniard bombed on throughout, playing in countless crosses, one of which led to the first penalty.
Kurt Zouma: 7
Zouma has appeared more at ease with Thiago Silva alongside him this season but was dependable and courageous and also made a couple of fine blocks.
Antonio Rudiger: 7
The German’s return marked his first club start since the FA Cup final and he was steady and error-free.
Ben Chilwell: 7
The England left-back defended resolutely, with his positional play and awareness a key factor in the clean sheet.
Jorginho: 5
His first-half penalty miss summed up an average display in which he failed to ensure the team got a grip on the midfield.
Mateo Kovacic: 6
Kovacic was pro-active and busy but was often outnumbered in the middle of the park, with Jorginho dropping slightly deeper and a very attacking trio playing ahead of him. The Croatian was fortunate to get away with a sloppy pass in his own half after the break that could have easily led to a goal.
Hakim Ziyech: 8
A well-taken goal capped a memorable first start for Chelsea. The winger was dangerous cutting in from the right for the entire match, mixing up his passing with some delightful cross-field balls and a number of cute attempts to play a killer ball for a fellow attacker.
Kai Havertz: 8
His poise and composure shines through, refusing to be rushed even when under intense pressure. He laid on Hudson-Odoi’s opener and was progressively influential in the second half, setting up numerous opportunities after striding forward from deep.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 7
He repaid boss Frank Lampard’s faith with an impressive showing. Hudson-Odoi was confident and always eager to take on his man and was rewarded with his first-half goal, albeit gifted to him by some poor goalkeeping.
Timo Werner: 8
Werner is a sparky presence every time he plays. He did superbly well to nip in front of a defender to win the opening penalty, remained a nagging threat and then crashed home his first Champions League goal for the club from the spot.
N’Golo Kante: 6
A case of a simple job well done for Kante, who came on as part of a triple substitution with 20 minutes left and helped to shore up the midfield, which had looked vulnerable defensively.
Mason Mount: 6
Like Kante, he played his part in a dominant team performance in the closing stages.
Christian Pulisic: 8
A vibrant cameo from the American who won the penalty which made it 2-0 and, after a couple of other positive attacking moments, scored the fourth goal from a tight angle to wrap up victory in the 90th minute.
