Chelsea v Swansea player ratings
Chelsea beat Swansea at Stamford Bridge to move 11 points clear at the top of the table. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 3-1 victory.
Thibaut Courtois: 6
Swansea managed two efforts on target other than their goal, neither of which caused the Belgian keeper any serious concern.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Defended solidly throughout, apart from when he and his defensive colleagues were caught napping for Fernando Llorente’s equaliser. Swansea also claimed a penalty for handball against the Spaniard but the incident seemed accidental and was a case of ball to hand.
David Luiz: 7
Chelsea’s ball-playing centre-back was good in possession and dependable in defence, although partly to blame for Swansea’s simple goal. He read the game as effectively as ever.
Gary Cahill: 6
As Chelsea’s senior defender he will take more criticism for the goal conceded but was otherwise sound and did well organising those around him.
Victor Moses: 7
One of Chelsea’s most consistently impressive players stood out once again with numerous foraging runs. He was unlucky not to create a goal or two and maintained his energy levels in both boxes throughout.
N’Golo Kante: 9
The Frenchman continues to astound with his midfield work-rate and ability to do the simple things to perfection. His pestering and relentless running was a key factor in the victory and allowed a great deal of freedom for his midfield partner to take a starring role.
Cesc Fabregas: 9
A superb individual display that could easily have ended with the midfield playmaker scoring a hat-trick. Fabregas dominated the match, making the most of the space created by Kante’s efforts. The Spaniard scored the opener, hit the bar, played an astute pass for Pedro’s goal and was involved from the first minute to the last.
Marcos Alonso: 6
The Spanish wing-back struggled to make an impact in attack despite an impressive opening 10 minutes. But he did make some vital decoy runs, provided decent support and performed his defensive work without alarm.
Pedro: 8
His goal was fortunate because of the poor attempt to save it by keeper Lukasz Fabianski, but he earned his moment of luck with an industrious display that posed constant problems for the Swansea defence.
Eden Hazard: 8
Hazard remained bright and energetic throughout and, along with Fabregas, the most likely source of a goal. He created the third goal and teed up several openings with some trademark dribbling and sudden change of pace.
Diego Costa: 7
Costa’s late strike was a fitting reward for a typically tireless performance as well as a fine finish. His work-rate never dropped despite an afternoon where things would not quite fall his way but his persistence and smart work on and off the ball finally paid off.
Nemanja Matic: 6
Came on to shore things up at the back with the Blues 2-1 up and did the job required of him.
