Hazard Shines Again: Chelsea Player Ratings vs Liverpool

Chelsea extended their winless run in the Premier League to two games when the Blues conceded a late equaliser to Daniel Sturridge and settled for a draw against Liverpool. Eden Hazard had initially given them the lead in the first half with a great finish in the first half.

A wonder strike from former Chelsea striker Sturridge, however, made sure that Liverpool didn’t go home empty-handed. The West London giants now slip to third in the league table, trailing second-placed Liverpool by two points.

Chelsea Player Ratings

Kepa Arrizabalaga (8/10): Much like Alisson for Liverpool, Kepa proved his worth by making some good saves. His save to deny Mane in the second half was particularly important.

Cesar Azpilicueta (8/10): A diligent defensive display from Mr Reliable of Chelsea, as he remained solid throughout the game to minimise Sadio Mane’s influence on the left flank.

Antonio Rudiger (8/10): His vital clearance to deny Mohamed Salah from scoring in the first half was as good as a goal. Aside from that, the German international was very assured with his tackling and defending.

David Luiz (8.5/10): Started the game very casually, making a couple of awful passes to allow Liverpool pile up the pressure on the home team. But, his performance improved as the game wore on. He provided a sumptuous long-ball to play Willian through on goal with the ‘keeper to beat.

Marcos Alonso (7.5/10): While he may not have been as influential going forward as he normally is, Marcos Alonso’s diligent defensive display to minimise Salah’s contribution certainly deserves plaudits. The Spaniard got away in the end, though, as he failed to track Shaqiri only for the substitute to miss an open goal.

N’Golo Kante (8/10): Kante played a vital role in the Chelsea midfield as he not only screened the defence with his brilliant ball-recovering qualities but he also created a lot of chances for the attackers with his quick thinking. Most notably, the Frenchman took a quick free-kick to break free Eden Hazard in behind the Liverpool defence, just minutes after he had initially set up Willian with an exquisite. However, both players wasted their opportunities.

Jorginho (7.5/10): A solid display from the Italian, who attempted more number of passes than any other Chelsea player once again.

Mateo Kovacic (7.5/10): He has become an integral part of Chelsea’s midfield setup, largely due to his excellent ball-carrying quality. It’s also fair to mention that his sharp through ball to Hazard led to the opener.

Willian (7.5/10): Made a lot of runs in behind the defence, which caused a problem or two for the Liverpool backline. But, the Brazilian should have been more clinical in front of goal, after being presented with a glorious opportunity to put his side in the driver’s seat.

Olivier Giroud (6.5/10): Definitely vindicated Sarri’s decision to start him ahead of Alvaro Morata. Showed a few neat touches and used his strength to hold on to the ball before he was eventually replaced by Morata later in the second half.

Eden Hazard (9/10): Was eventually hard to stop after a rather slow start to the game. His mazy runs coupled with his tireless attitude made it difficult for Alexander-Arnold to get to grips with him. Produced an excellent finish to score the opener as well but should have put the game to bed when he only had Alisson to beat.

Substitutes

Alvaro Morata (6/10): Replaced Giroud just after the hour mark but struggled in making an impact.

Victor Moses (7.5/10): Moses turned out to be an excellent substitute as his burst of pace and tenacity offered Chelsea some much-needed boost on the right flank.

Ross Barkley (NA): Very little time to make any kind of impact after he replaced Mateo Kovacic in the 81st minute.

Stat courtesy: Whoscored