Full Time: Swansea City 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea emerged unscathed with a 1-0 win against Premier League strugglers Swansea City at Liberty Stadium this Saturday.
Although it was a much-needed victory to fuel the club’s hopes of securing a top-4 finish, Chelsea’s performance, on the whole, was a tad disappointing.
Cesc Fabregas scored an early goal to put the visitors in the driver’s seat but from thereon, Chelsea’s attack looked increasingly blunt. Swansea failed to pose much of a threat in the initial stages but as time wore on, the club did take quite a few chances in the last few minutes.
Luckily for the Blues, they managed to hold them off. That said, let’s take a look at how our players fared against Swansea.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
After enjoying an easy first-half, Courtois did have a few nervy moments in the final few minutes. Overall, it was a good show and his ball distribution was admirable once again.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7.5/10
Azpilicueta proved to be a reliable presence for us at the back like always. He was quite vigilant to keep trouble from Swansea at bay, particularly when it came to Andre Ayew.
Gary Cahill – 7/10
Made a few risky tackles but besides that, he performed well and put in a solid shift.
Antonio Rudiger – 6/10
Struggled against the Ayew brothers on certain occasions and looked a bit shaky.
Victor Moses – 7.5/10
Got forward quite a bit and even got close to scoring. It was a decent display from Moses, who went on to pick up a booking for tripping Martin Olsson.
N’Golo Kante – 8/10
Won the ball for us on several occasions and maintained possession to put in a fluid performance at the heart of the midfield.
Cesc Fabregas – 7.5/10
Scored the only goal of the game and made some important late runs into the box to facilitate attacks. He seems to thrive in a 3-5-2 formation.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 6/10
After a disappointing start, Bakayoko grew into the game. Although he got his basics right, there was nothing extraordinary about his performance.
Emerson Palmieri – 7/10
A splendid display from Palmieri, who impressed on both fronts. Fought hard at the back and also provided momentum while going forward.
Eden Hazard – 8.5/10
Hazard continues to be rock-solid for Chelsea. Provided the assist for Fabregas’ goal and he started as one of the forwards in the 3-5-2 formation.
Olivier Giroud – 7.5/10
Started ahead of Alvaro Morata and he linked up well with Hazard. It was a good show from the towering Frenchman but it is unfortunate that he could not get a goal.
Subs:
Willian – 6/10
Stuck to the basics but he came on too late to make a significant impact.
Pedro – N/A
Like Willian, Pedro tried to make things work but there was simply not enough time.
Alvaro Morata – N/A
Was caught offside in an attacking run and that sums up his contribution.