Chelsea

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.



This post was last modified on 15/02/2019

Owen Phillips
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Owen Phillips