Manchester City put in a dominant display as they defeated Chelsea 2 -0 courtesy of a brace by Sergio Aguero. They looked fitter and sharper as they moved the ball around beautifully, cutting open the Chelsea defence on numerous occasions.
Pep Guardiola’s men looked a class above their opposition and a lot of work will need to be done by Sarri based on this performance. Here we rate the Chelsea players:
Willy Caballero: 6/10
Caballero pulled off some decent saves in the second half. He prevented Aguero’s hat-trick when he rushed out of his line to push Aguero way from the goal, making it a difficult angle for him to finish. He prevented the scoreline from getting worse and should be an able deputy in the coming season.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 5/10
The right-back did not offer anything going forward and had a quiet game. He was out of position at times, leaving too much space for the city forwards to exploit behind him.
Antonio Rudiger: 4/10
The centre-back was not tight enough to prevent Aguero from scoring his first goal. Looked shaky at the back.
David Luiz: 3/10
One of the poorest performers on the day as his positioning was suspect at times. Sergio Aguero constantly made runs in behind him and troubled him all afternoon. Luiz also suffered in 1v1 situations. The Brazilian did not look comfortable in a back four and will need to improve drastically on the back of today’s disappointing performance.
Marcos Alonso: 5/10
Alonso offered some attacking impetus but does not look at home in the left-back position.
Jorginho: 4/10
Chelsea’s newest acquisition failed to dictate the play as he was hurried by the high pressing of City’s midfield. He showed some good touches in the first half as he tried to have an influence on the game but way too often, he was caught spending too much time on the ball.
Cesc Fabregas: 3/10
The Spanish midfielder had a poor game as he was constantly bypassed by City’s dynamic midfielders. He lacked energy and misplaced his passes. His defensive contribution was poor and he offered nothing going forward either.
Ross Barkley: 5/10
The Englishman tried to influence the game and offered some energy in midfield.
Calum Hudson-Odoi: 5/10
Looked threatening whenever he got on the ball. He had one or two unsuccessful attempts on goal. He looked Chelsea’s best bet to get a goal in the first half and showed glimpses of his immense talent. The young lad has a bright future ahead of him.
Pedro: 5/10
The winger was largely ineffective. He tried to make things happen on the right flank and also showed some quick feet to dribble past his marker. He made an attempt to link up with Morata but could not create any clear-cut chances and struggled much like his teammates.
Alvaro Morata: 5/10
Morata’s hold up play was poor and he often dropped deep to influence the game. At times he was trying too much but did not enjoy any joy against a strong city defence.
Substitutes
Willian: 6/10
Looked lively when he came on. He made some inroads and tried to drive the team with his forward runs.
Drinkwater: 5/10
He attempted to break up attacks and offered defensive support to Jorginho.
Abraham: 5/10
Offered some pace up front and made a good run in the box only for Barkley’s cross to be intercepted by the City goalkeeper.
Victor Moses: N/A
Didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
