Chelsea v Arsenal player ratings
Chelsea had a hugely frustrating night as Jorginho’s dreadful pass-back gifted Arsenal victory at Stamford Bridge. Here’s how we rated the Blues players in the 1-0 loss to their London rivals.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6
Apart from the comical goal he conceded through no fault of his own, he had nothing to do. But even when he is blameless, Kepa somehow just seems to attract misfortune.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
A typically steady performance by the Chelsea skipper, who got forward well enough and was dependable in his defensive work.
Thiago Silva: 7
Unflustered and always in control, he was part of a strong defence that never really looked in danger of conceding other than the goal.
Kurt Zouma: 7
He started impressively, closing down high up the pitch and helping to set a good tone. Zouma remained dominant and posed a good threat from corners and almost scored with a late header that was tipped on to the bar by keeper Bernd Leno.
Reece James: 7
James was untroubled defensively and worked tirelessly to create an equaliser with a few surging runs and several decent crosses.
Jorginho: 5
A diabolical pass-back ultimately cost Chelsea. He worked as hard as anyone to try to make amends but without success.
Billy Gilmour: 6
Neat, tidy and careful in possession but sacrificed at the break with Chelsea needing to be more proactive in attack.
Ben Chilwell: 6
He was solid and saw plenty of the ball in attack throughout but was a bit tentative and rarely delivered a decent final pass.
Mason Mount: 6
Mount was very unlucky to see a goal-bound strike blocked with an arm and was prominent in the first half but less influential after the break when he dropped deeper.
Christian Pulisic: 6
A frustrating evening for Pulisic, who should have done better with a headed chance from a corner in the first period. He was lively and always on the cusp of making a telling contribution without actually managing to do so.
Kai Havertz: 6
The German looked sharp and threatening but missed a wonderful one-on-one chance in the first half – albeit he created it himself by winning possession.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 7
Gilmour’s replacement had a fine second half, operating effectively on both flanks and standing out as Chelsea’s best chance of creating a goal.
Olivier Giroud: 6
The Frenchman’s physical presence caused more than a few problems after coming on in the closing stages and he was only denied an equaliser when his smart, instinctive strike hit the bar.
