Chelsea v Man City player ratings
Chelsea’s poor run continued as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Manchester City. Here’s how we rated each Blues player.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6
Produced a number of comfortable saves in the first half and got down well to deny Kevin De Bruyne early in the second as City turned up the pressure. But will face questions over his decision to leave a Jack Grealish pass across the six-yard box that Riyad Mahrez tapped in to give the away side the win.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Put in a real captain’s performance and kept Phil Foden quiet for much of the game, restricting the City forward to just 19 touches in the first half. But once Foden was subbed in the 60th minute, Grealish had a bit more success down the flank and provided the only assist.
Kalidou Koulibaly: 7
Dealt well with Erling Haaland in the first half, giving the striker barely a sniff. Eventually, it was Mahrez who made the breakthrough, but Koulibaly put in a much improved performance against the defending champions.
Thiago Silva: 7
Much like his partner, Silva can be praised for keeping Haaland quiet, and won a number of battles against City’s marksman. Nearly snatched a goal against the run of play early in the second half, firing just wide after the ball dropped to him inside the box.
Marc Cucurella: 7
Had the tough defensive task of handling Joao Cancelo, who was camped in the Chelsea half for 45 minutes, before being hooked at the break. Cucurella also offered support going forward and although he couldn’t provide a killer moment, worked tirelessly on the left flank for 68 minutes.
Denis Zakaria: 8
Another strong performance from Zakaria, who played a role similar to that of N’Golo Kante, sitting in front of the defensive line. He helped keep Chelsea’s back four strong for an hour and as the Blues chased an equaliser, was seen in more advanced positions. Would be unlucky to lose his place in the XI moving forward.
Mateo Kovacic: 7
Confident receiving the ball under pressure in deep areas early on, and looked to shift Chelsea up the pitch with his passing. Faded after a bright start, but overall played well alongside Zakaria in midfield.
Hakim Ziyech: 6
Was restricted to playing on the counter as much of the game was played behind him, but Ziyech did well to bring the ball out and relieve the relentless City pressure on a number of occasions in the second half.
Raheem Sterling: 5
Lasted just four minutes as he picked up an early injury against his former club to add to Graham Potter’s problems.
Kai Havertz: 7
Played just behind substitute Aubameyang for most of the evening, and had the ball into feet on the halfway line on many occasions, where he tried turning into space to start Chelsea attacks. Put in a shift for the full 90 minutes, but couldn’t provide a moment of magic to drag his side level after they fell behind.
Christian Pulisic: 6
Like Sterling, Pulisic was forced off early after a strong – but fair – tackle from John Stones. Had looked bright in the 18 minutes he played.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 4
Handed an opportunity to impress as a result of Sterling’s injury, but struggled to get in the game and often found himself isolated up front. Was subbed himself in the 68th minute.
Carney Chukwuemeka: 8
Unfazed as he was thrown in at the deep end, replacing Pulisic after just 20 minutes. Chukwuemeka was close to giving Chelsea the lead just before half-time, hitting the post with a low shot from the edge of the box. Put in an impressive performance that could win him a place in Potter’s team moving forward.
Conor Galllagher: 6
Offered a burst of energy, coming on when Chelsea were searching for an equaliser. At times pressed high to put pressure on the City defence, and played as a partner up front to Havertz late on.
Omari Hutchinson: 6
Got the crowd on their feet a couple of times as he looked to spark Chelsea into life down the right side late on.
Lewis Hall: 6
Comfortable as he replaced Cucurella after the City goal. Had a chance to level it late on, but fired over the bar to finish a Chelsea counter.
