Chelsea v West Ham player ratings

Kenedy of Chelsea

Chelsea needed a late Cesc Fabregas penalty to rescue a 2-2 draw against West Ham on Saturday. Here’s how we rated the Blues players at Stamford Bridge.

Thibaut Courtois: 6
Could do nothing about Manuel Lanzini’s stunning opener but questions can be raised about his role in Andy Carroll’s goal. He may have been wrong-footed as the shot was hit into the ground but no goalkeeper likes being beaten at his near post. Did save well from Carroll late on though.

Branislav Ivanovic: 6
Reverted to full-back but looked uncomfortable against both Lanzini and Dimitri Payet at times. Booked early on for cynically tugging back the latter and his failure to cut out the Frenchman’s pass led to Carroll’s goal. Did get forward well and put in some fine crosses.

Gary Cahill: 7
Did well in the first half as West Ham took a grip on the game, and was strong in the air, heading wide from a corner. A little more suspect on the ground and was given much more of a test by Carroll after the striker came on. 

John Terry: 8
Back in the starting line-up for the first time since limping out of the Newcastle game five weeks ago and was rock solid on his 701st appearance. Very often in the right place at the right time and enjoyed the aerial battles.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Back at left-back in the defensive reshuffle caused by Terry’s return. Limited the threat of Enner Valencia in a solid display. Went largely unnoticed, but that’s a good thing.

John Obi Mikel: 7
Kept things ticking over and seems to relish the trust placed in him by Guus Hiddink. Made a good tackle on Payet but was unlucky to see Lanzini then curl the loose ball into the net. Certainly a better bet at the moment than Nemanja Matic.

Cesc Fabregas: 8
Rescued his side with a perfectly placed free-kick and a coolly taken penalty. Also unlucky not to score with an overhead kick. Everything went through him – the only blemish on an otherwise fine performance was the fact his passing was hit and miss. 

Willian: 7
Not as influential as he often is, but he was busy, took good corners and in the first half whipped a free-kick just wide of the post.

Oscar: 6
Had numerous shots blocked by a resolute West Ham defence but the best chance he had was wasted as he opted to meet Ivanovic’s cross with a stretched right foot rather than trusting his left. He never really found his rhythm and the only surprise when he was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek is that it didn’t happen sooner.

Kenedy: 7
Looked bright until he took a whack in the face late in the first half, and he didn’t re-emerge after half-time. In his brief time on the pitch he showed great desire on the ball, although he occasionally ran into traffic.

Loic Remy: 6
Chosen ahead of Bertrand Traore to start up front in Diego Costa’s absence, but didn’t really seize his chance to impress. Did have a couple of shots saved by Adrian, but Traore eventually replaced him.

Pedro: 7
Brought on for the stricken Kenedy and linked up well with his colleagues in an industrious 45 minutes.

Bertrand Traore: 7
While he worked hard up front – his shanked shot inadvertently set up Loftus-Cheek for a chance in injury time – his key contribution was clearing a Carroll header off the line.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6
Justified Hiddink’s decision to bring him on, instead of Alexandre Pato by showing some neat touches. Fouled for the match-saving penalty but also fired wide on the turn when he had the chance to win it.