Sunderland v Chelsea player ratings

The outstanding Eden Hazard scored twice in a thrilling 4-3 win for Chelsea, who stayed second in the table. Here’s how we rated the players in their victory at the Stadium of Light.

Petr Cech: 6
Not at fault for any of Sunderland’s goals and saved well from Jozy Altidore following an error by Ramires.

Branislav Ivanovic: 6
As eager to get forward as ever and offered Chelsea a good outlet on the right-hand side. Some of his defensive work was not up to scratch though and he was guilty of a feeble attempt to clear in the build-up to Sunderland’s second goal.

Gary Cahill: 5
Well short of his best. Struggled to contain Altidore and lost Phil Bardsley for Sunderland’s third goal. Definitely an off night.

John Terry: 5
Another who was well below par. The Blues skipper played Altidore onside for the hosts’ first goal and was unusually sloppy with the ball.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 6
Likely to make way for Ashley Cole this weekend, but Azpilicueta has acquitted himself well at left-back and was solid enough against the Black Cats.

Ramires: 7
Had a couple of iffy moments but overall did a good job in midfield and was unlucky not to create a goal on one or two occasions when he surged forward.

Frank Lampard: 7
Played his part in a fine attacking performance by the Blues. Took his goal well with a convincing header, linked up really nicely with Hazard for Chelsea’s third and was impressive on the ball throughout.

Eden Hazard: 9
An incredible display by the Belgian, who scored two, made one and ran rings around the Sunderland defence from start to finish. One of the great Chelsea performances of recent seasons and a joy to watch.

Willian: 7
Missed a good chance to score and was overshadowed by Chelsea’s other attacking players, but he worked hard and dropped deep to give Chelsea a valuable extra man in midfield when they needed it. Willian hasn’t fired on all cylinders for the Blues yet but is a very good team player.

Juan Mata: 8
Kept his place in the side and repaid boss Jose Mourinho with an excellent display. His link-up play and clever movement bothered Sunderland and his delivery from set-pieces was typically precise.

Fernando Torres: 6
Worked hard to create space for others but will be disappointed to have missed a couple of decent chances, not least when he blasted over when faced with an unguarded net.

Demba Ba: 7
Did well after coming on, playing a key role in Chelsea’s third goal.

Sunderland
They never gave up and Altidore is a major handful. On the evidence of this match, former Blues favourite Gus Poyet will keep them up. They won’t face many better attacking teams than a Hazard-inspired Chelsea.

Man of the match
Hazard

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