Malmo v Chelsea player ratings
Chelsea responded to their mauling at the hands of Manchester City with a win over Malmo in the Europa League. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 2-1 win in the first leg of the last-32 tie in Sweden.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6
Chelsea’s keeper had little chance with the Malmo goal and was otherwise untroubled against a side whose only real threat came from set-pieces.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Dependable in defence, quick to support in attack and showed no signs of being affected by the disastrous day against City where he was given the runaround.
Andreas Christensen: 7
The Dane had a steady evening but perhaps should have done better when he failed to get across to deal with the breakaway that led to Malmo’s late goal. But he made a vital injury-time intervention to ensure Chelsea did not concede an equaliser.
David Luiz: 8
Flawless at the back, defending without risk and making a goal-saving block in each half, Luiz was equally impeccable in possession – albeit against opposition lacking true quality.
Emerson: 6
He made a couple of positive runs forward in the first half and defended calmly and sensibly.
Jorginho: 6
Quietly effective, the Italy international kept things ticking over well against a side who afforded him more space than he is used to and he also ensured Pedro and Willian saw plenty of the ball in good areas.
Mateo Kovacic: 7
Kovacic had one of his better games of recent times, making a difference in the final third as well as fulfilling his defensive duties.
Ross Barkley: 8
The England midfielder took his goal well after making a mess of his initial control. Barkley played with confidence in attack but should have scored a second when he shot wildly after Olivier Giroud’s exquisite touch.
Pedro: 7
Typically busy and involved from start to finish, but his quality on the ball did not always match his work-rate.
Willian: 7
Willian had a quiet first half but became increasingly influential as Malmo tired after the break, setting up several decent chances – particularly when showing some nifty footwork for Giroud’s strike.
Olivier Giroud: 7
A trademark, nonchalant back-heel finish capped a more than decent performance that gave Chelsea a focal point. Giroud’s hold-up play and awareness were impressive considering his lack of game time.
Eden Hazard: 7
Energetic and dangerous after coming on in the final 20 minutes, Hazard looked sharp and in the mood.
N’Golo Kante: 6
Steady after coming on in match that was very stretched in the closing stages.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 6
He was knocked off the ball too easily a couple of times but made one brilliant run that could have teed up a late third Chelsea goal.
