Chelsea continued their winning momentum in the Premier League after securing a hard-fought 2-1 win over Fulham on Sunday.
It was far from a convincing display from the Blues but the win helped them secure two back to back derby triumphs, having previously registered an excellent 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their last game.
Here are the Chelsea players rated in their win over their London rivals.
Kepa Arrizabalaga (7/10): Returned to the side after being dropped in the last game due to his antics against Manchester City and the Spaniard was one of the best players on the pitch, pulling off a series of excellent saves to help his side collect all three points in this tense encounter.
He was, however, sloppy with his kicks and overall distribution, which certainly need to improve in the coming matches.
Cesar Azpilicueta (8/10): An excellent defensive display to prevent the Fulham attackers from making forays down his flank but most importantly, the Spaniard made an excellent block to deny Tom Cairney in the first half.
He was also quite useful in attack, notably delivering an accurate ball to find Gonzalo Higuain for Chelsea’s opener.
Antonio Rudiger (7/10): A horrendous pass allowed Fulham to break through and score the equalizer in the first half. But the German international looked much better after that.
Andreas Christensen (7.5/10): It was always going to be a challenge to defend against Aleksandar Mitrovic but the Danish international did it rather well, putting his body on the line and denying the Serbian any time or space on the ball.
Emerson (7/10): Struggled to provide the attacking support and was largely ineffective with the ball at this feet. Did well, however, to stop Ryan Babel from making an impact.
N’Golo Kante (7.5/10): Highly involved in Chelsea’s gameplan, and as ever, the Frenchman ran up and down the pitch to initiate turnovers in midfield keeping the possession intact.
Jorginho (9/10): Following a series of disappointing performances, Jorginho had to come up with a solid display in this one and that he did. The Italian midfielder hardly put a foot wrong in the holding midfield slot.
For the first time, the former Napoli midfielder showed that he can also be useful in attack, notably delivering three key passes while rotating possession at a quicker-rate. And to add the cherry on top, he scored the winner as well.
Ross Barkley (7/10): Performed decently having replaced Kovacic in the starting lineup. Combined well with teammates and kept things simple.
Willian (7.5/10): An excellent attacking display from Willian despite lacking the end product, at times. The Brazilian international tormented Joe Bryan with his direct runs and impeccable link-up play and with him and Pedro both doing well in recent games, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod in the next match.
Gonzalo Higuain (7.5/10): It was an encouraging performance from the Argentinian, whose hold-up play and understanding with the likes of Hazard and Barkley were impressive.
Missed a golden opportunity to score the opener in the opening minutes with his mistimed header but made amends shortly, in what was only his third Premier League goal for his new club.
Eden Hazard (7.5/10): It was certainly not best of matches for Hazard, who lacked the penetration in the final third. But, his impressive combination play and a couple of dangerous shots still made him a threat for the Fulham defence while the Belgian also threaded in an excellent ball for Jorginho’s winner.
SUBSTITUTES
Mateo Kovacic (7/10): Replaced Jorginho in the 68th minute as Maurizio Sarri opted for fresh legs in midfield. He looked defensively solid while his introduction to the game also allowed Kante to play in his natural position.
Pedro (NA): Had very little time to make an impact after replacing Hazard during the final phase of the game.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (NA): Came on for Ross Barkley with just 12 minutes remaining on the clock.
