Chelsea v Brentford player ratings

Chelsea eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup by beating Brentford 4-0. Here’s how we rated players in the derby at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea

Asmir Begovic: 6

Made a couple of routine second-half saves, but was a virtual spectator for large chunks of the tie and had few real chances to shine.

Kurt Zouma: 6

A wild, sliced effort late on drew rapturous acclaim from home fans who love his terrifying physical presence and commitment. A formidable barrier with his towering headers.

John Terry: 6

No FA Cup red card for the skipper this time. Probably the easiest afternoon as he has had in a long time, with no Scott Hogan to deal with for the first hour.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 6

A very comfortable afternoon for the defender. Had Romaine Sawyers in his pocket and remained unruffled and dependable throughout. Made way for Kenedy 20 minutes from the end.

Cesc Fabregas: 7

The Bees could not get near him. Seemed always to operate in a huge bubble of private space and was able to show off his great range of passes.

Nathaniel Chalobah: 6

A good afternoon’s work. Went about his business efficiently, but did pick up a late yellow card for a foul on Ryan Woods.

Pedro: 7

Won the first half free-kick which resulted in Willian’s opener. His trickery out on the right flank set the tone for the home side’s decisive early attacks and he provided the assist for the third goal. 

Willian: 8

Stunning free-kick set the ball rolling for the Blues. Almost added a second with a shot just over and brilliant mazy run almost set up a goal for Loftus-Cheek. A class act as usual.

Nathan Ake: 7

Very assured on the left flank. Looked polished and confident on his return.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 8

Two full-blooded drives tested keeper Dan Bentley in the first half. His strength on the ball and willingness to burst forward in possession always threatened damage. Clipped the bar after a great Willian run.

Michy Batshuayi: 5

Scoring a late penalty and an assist for Pedro’s goal could not quite mask the flaws. Once again he was mostly unconvincing as Diego Costa’s understudy. Seemed too anxious to impress and often looked hurried.

Branislav Ivanovic: 6

Scored soon after coming on for William just past the hour – rattling in after Pedro had fed him in a breakaway. Fitting moment if it turns out to be his final appearance for the Blues.

Brentford

Dan Bentley: 6

Got a hand to the Ivanovic drive that beat him for the third goal but had little chance with the first-half goals which effectively killed the tie.

Harlee Dean: 6

Chelsea’s varied lines of attack and pace nullified his aerial strengths. Never shirked and at least gave as good as he got against Batshuayi.

John Egan: 6

Put in one great block to deny Loftus-Cheek and produced a wholehearted shift alongside his skipper.

Andreas Bjelland: 5

A predictably tough afternoon for the defender, who at times had Pedro, Willian and Loftus-Cheek bearing down on him.

Maxime Colin: 6

Gave a good account of himself. Always looking to get involved and spark attacks, even in a cause which looked forlorn from very early on.

Ryan Woods: 7

Excellent effort from the midfielder. He will not have a much harder afternoon this season but his head never dropped and he never stopped hunting down the ball.

Josh McEachran: 5

Eager to make an impression against his old club but found it hard against Chelsea’s vaunted stars and was taken off for the final quarter of an hour.

Nico Yennaris: 6

Went close to scoring after wriggling past two defenders inside the area following great work from Woods. But he was unable to prevent the Bees from being frequently overrun in midfield.

Yoann Barbet: 6

Did his best to get forward whenever possible. Fired one fierce drive at Begovic in the first half but mostly had his hands full tracking back to deal with Pedro, and gave away a late penalty.

Romaine Sawyers: 5

Struggled to get into the game and made way for Hogan in the second half. An afternoon to largely forget.

Lasse Vibe: 5

Maybe unlucky to give away the free-kick for the opening goal after Pedro rolled him on the edge of the box. Had one chance early in the second half but dithered and was smothered by Begovic.

Jota: 6

Replaced Vibe after 64 minutes. A few attempted dribbles and his arrival lifted the away fans at the Shed End. Clipped one free-kick onto the roof of the net.

Scott Hogan: 5

First outing for some while and made little impression after surprisingly coming off the bench just past the hour – hardly surprising given the uncertainty surrounding his future.