Chelsea completed a convincing 2-0 victory over Bournemouth as goals from Pedro and Eden Hazard did the job for Maurizio Sarri’s men. In the process, Chelsea maintained their 100% Premier League winning record to keep up with Liverpool.
Here are the Chelsea player ratings from the game.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6.5/10
The Spanish custodian had a relatively quiet game as Chelsea dominated possession and rarely did Bournemouth find an opening through counter-attacks.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
Azpilicueta was a livewire down the right flank, often beating his marker with a burst of pace and providing excellent service with his crossing. He delivered a whopping ten crosses and helped Chelsea stay on the attacking front.
Antonio Rudiger: 6.5/10
Rudiger was generally solid in defence, tracking back on time by using his pace and reading of the game. He made four clearances and distributed the ball well, registering a passing accuracy of 91.4%.
David Luiz: 7/10
Luiz built the play from the back, often launching long balls, but he was equally efficient in defence. The Brazilian made five clearances and won three aerial duels, therefore delivering a comprehensive performance as such.
Marcos Alonso: 8/10
Alonso has certainly bettered the defensive aspect of his game, as he balanced his role with offensive duties remarkably well. He often broke into the opposition half, but also cleared the ball on five occasions and intercepting once as well. He picked up the assist for Hazard’s goal.
Jorginho: 6.5/10
The Italian endured a rather inferior game compared to his pervious performances in the league. He struggled to set the tempo of the game, and despite recording a passing accuracy of 90%, he was somewhat overrun as the sole defensive midfielder by Bournemouth’s occasional counter-attacks.
N’Golo Kante: 7/10
Kante provided the energy and drive from the right side of the midfield as he played simple passes to lay the ball for Azpilicueta in offensive positions and often tracked back to recover the ball whenever Jorginho was found off his position.
Mateo Kovacic: 7/10
The Croatian midfielder looked well adept in the setup, as he put four tackles and also delivered two key passes, something that demonstrates the sheer versatility of his style of play. He made inroads from the left channel and took some shots from long range.
Eden Hazard: 8.5/10
Hazard was brilliant, often cutting in from the left flank and testing the opposing defence in the half spaces. He made crisp passes, rarely losing possession, and delivered five key passes in the match. The Belgian capped off his performance with a well-taken goal too.
Willian: 7/10
Willian’s energy and tenacity on the right flank added much more zest to Chelsea’s attacking gameplay. He used his footwork to good effect, stretching the opposing defence and eventually providing a total of four key passes in the game. He completed three dribbles and was taken off for Pedro after the hour mark.
Alvaro Morata: 5/10
The forward was hardly involved in the build-up and his passing was erratic as he recorded a pass accuracy of only 63.6%. Morata won three aerial duels but took only one shot on target as he was taken off for Olivier Giroud at the hour mark.
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud: 6.5/10
Giroud was brought in to capitalise on the crosses coming from the right flank. He played a few neat one-twos and had a hand in the opening goal of the game.
Pedro: 8/10
The most impactful substitution of the match, Pedro brought in a sense of unpredictability and precision, something that the Chelsea team was missing despite maintaining the majority of the possession. His movement and dribbling for the goal were exquisite, and so was the finish.
Ruben Loftus Cheek: 5/10
The Englishman came in place of Kovacic and kept things tidy by adding more defensive steel in the final 15 minutes of the game.
