Sparta v Chelsea player ratings

Chelsea’s prospects of reaching the last 16 of the Europa League look good after Oscar’s late goal in Prague. Here’s how we rated the players in their first-leg victory.

Petr Cech: 6
Was barely tested on his return to one of his former clubs. Had one worrying moment after the break, but was calm and assured and set up several good attacks with his swift and accurate distribution.

Caesar Azpilicueta: 6
Always involved and available – and a threat in attack. Generally defensively sound but his ball watching almost led to a goal and some dubious positional play meant he was forced to rely on his pace on a couple of occasions.

Gary Cahill: 7
Turned in a mature performance and showed excellent composure to control his desire to challenge for every ball after being booked in the first half.

Branislav Ivanovic: 6
Played a full part in the clean sheet but a couple of sloppy clearances did cause concern. Dominant in the air but not great in possession.

Ryan Bertrand: 6
Steady and solid, but unspectacular. Produced one or two decent crosses but was restricted in attack by the tactics and line-up.

Frank Lampard: 8
Another impressive effort from a player who recognises what the team needs as the game develops. Still had several attempts on goal and should have done better with a header after a trademark run. Stood out for his defensive awareness, tracking back and his work off the ball.

Ramires: 7
Not as effective as he normally is, but typically tireless and like Lampard put in plenty of unnoticed effort for his more gifted team-mates.

Marko Marin: 7
Arguably Chelsea’s main threat in the first half. Was busy, energetic and full of running but faded after the interval and was replaced. Still finding his fitness and settling, but much more promising from the German.

Eden Hazard: 7
It didn’t quite happen for the talented Belgian. He looked dangerous and threatening and always pleasing on the eye, but there was no end product on this freezing cold night.

Juan Mata: 6
Quiet. Unable to influence play either from a deep position or in the final third. Chelsea’s midfield lacked cohesion and the Spaniard’s display suffered as a result.

Fernando Torres: 6
Respectable display but only sporadically effective. Lacked support and didn’t get the run of the ball. Had one splendid effort late on, one woeful effort and a couple of near things.

Yossi Benayoun: 6
Did nothing wrong but was barely noticed when he was on.

Oscar: 8
Bright and eager, and a matchwinner within a minute of coming on. A glorious goal that ensured a pretty forgettable match had a moment to remember.

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