Chelsea boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League as they secured a 3-2 win over their London rivals Crystal Palace in their latest Premier League fixture earlier today at the Selhurst Park.
In what was a thoroughly entertaining game, Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham found the back of the net for the Blues, while Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke bagged a goal each for the Eagles.
Here are our Chelsea player ratings from what transpired earlier today.
Kepa Arrizabalaga 4/10
The custodian’s distribution was far from convincing and struggled on a few occasions to deal with the crosses. Although Zaha’s thunderous strike was superb, Arrizabalaga could have done better to stop him from scoring.
Reece James 6/10
Apart from his positional sense, the young gun fared decently at the back as he won 3 aerial duels and made 3 tackles. He produced a juicy cross for Giroud which the striker failed to capitalize on.
Andreas Christensen 4/10
Christensen was shaky throughout the game as he clearly lacked confidence and had a number of nervy moments. He failed to mark Benteke which led to the second goal for the home side.
Kurt Zouma 7/10
Having thrived with a lot of positivity, Zouma won 5 aerial duels and was proactive in dealing with Crystal Palace’s attackers. His most notable contribution was his impeccable tackle on Benteke right at the end which saved the blushes of his side.
Cesar Azpilicueta 6/10
The veteran defender offered very little while going forward but was resilient in dealing with Andros Townsend and Zaha in particular, making 5 tackles during the outing.
Ross Barkley 6/10
It was another promising display by the English international as he dominated the midfield in the first half. However, he started to fade after the interval and was rightfully substituted early in the second half.
Billy Gilmour 6/10
The 19-year-old passed the ball with a lot of precision, registering a pass accuracy of 91%. He was tidy in possession but found it difficult to physically impose himself when Crystal Palace started to attack with all guns blazing in the second half.
Mason Mount 6/10
Mount was incredibly industrious and left no blade of grass uncovered. His shot late in the game forced Vicente Guaita to make a save down his right.
Willian 8/10
The winger breezed forward whenever he got the chance and tortured Patrick van Aanholt to no end. The commander-in-chief of many of the attacking endeavours for Lampard’s entourage, Willian bagged a couple of assists and completed 4 dribbles.
Olivier Giroud 6/10
In the right place at the right time for the opening goal, Giroud spearheaded Chelsea’s attack with determination. He should have scored from the chance James created and there is no denying that he did go toe-to-toe against Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann.
Christian Pulisic 8/10
Pulisic terrorized Joel Ward and Dann with his blistering pace and clever movements in the final third, completing 4 dribbles and making 2 tackles. He carved his name on the score sheet with a smashing strike and was easily the stand-out player for Lampard’s side.
Substitutions
Tammy Abraham 6/10
The striker scored his first goal in ten appearances which must have boosted his confidence. He thrived with a lot of energy and also made some defensive contributions.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek 6/10
He linked up shrewdly with Abraham as he engineered a cheeky pass which paved the way for Chelsea’s third goal. Further, he dominated the midfield battles after coming on and left no stone unturned to dictate the tempo of the game.
Jorginho 6/10
The midfielder made a late cameo and injected stability into Chelsea’s midfield with his gritty presence.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
