CHELSEA suffered their third successive domestic defeat with a 2-0 loss to in-form Manchester City on Wednesday evening.
Goals from Riyad Mahrez and new boy Julian Alvarez fired Pep Guardiola’s side into the fourth round, leaving the Blues with a bitter taste of defeat once again.
Chelsea put on a fairly positive display throughout the first half, but their fate was sealed as soon as City broke the deadlock in the second half.
Here’s how SunSport’s Emillia Hawkins rated the performance.
Edouard Mendy – 7
Mendy responded well whenever he was called upon throughout the game, making some fantastic saves.
Marc Cucurella – 6
The Spaniard put on a solid defensive display, contributing with some crucial blocks.
His fantastic last-ditch tackle prevented Riyad Mahrez from breaking the deadlock early in the second half.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 5
He was largely at fault for Man City’s opening goal by not even attempting to block Mahrez’s free kick.
Koulibaly was also susceptible to a few defensive mistakes throughout.
Trevoh Chalobah – 6
Chalobah made some fantastic blocks throughout the first half, but ultimately City’s opener came from the free kick he gave away on the edge of the box.
Lewis Hall – 8
The youngest player on the pitch just so happened to be the best player on the pitch this evening.
Despite having made just one first team appearance prior to this evening’s fixture, Hall looked at home in the Chelsea squad.
Every time he received the ball he looked to create for the Blues while also being defensively solid.
Denis Zakaria – 6
The Juventus loanee did the simple things well and was effective while linking up with Kovacic.
He could perhaps be more confident at times, but that will undoubtedly come with more game time.
Mateo Kovacic – 6
Took control of the midfield and attempted to create with some fantastic passes.
He also worked well in a pivot alongside Zakaria.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 6
He did well to cover Grealish throughout the clash – partly with thanks to the protection that Ziyech helped to provide.
Christian Pulisic – 7
Pulisic provided a huge boost for Chelsea going forward, linking up well with both the midfield and Ziyech on the right.
But, he did miss a fair few chances.
Armando Broja – 5
Broja was very quiet throughout and he struggled to create many goalscoring opportunities for himself.
One of his best chances came early in the game when he gambled with a long-range strike, but his effort was off-target.
Hakim Ziyech – 7
Arguably one of Chelsea’s better players on the day, Ziyech looked to increase the tempo of the Blues’ play every time he got on the ball.
Going forward, he sent some fantastic passes into the box, linking up well with Pulisic in the process.
He also made an impact defensively, dropping back to cover Loftus-Cheek, who was being kept busy by Jack Grealish for much of the evening.
Substitutes
- Conor Gallagher (For Zakaria, 68) – 5
- Raheem Sterling (For Ziyech, 68) – 6
- Mason Mount (For Broja, 68) – 6
- Cesar Azpilicueta (For Chalobah, 69) – 5
- Kai Havertz (For Hall, 75) – 6
