Chelsea v Forest player ratings
Alvaro Morata’s goals, both set up by Callum Hudson-Odoi, took Chelsea through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Willy Caballero: 6
Had very little to do as Chelsea dominated throughout.
Davide Zappacosta: 7
Untroubled defensively, he got forward often and was denied a goal by keeper Luke Steele, who kept out two first-half efforts from the Italian.
David Luiz: 7
Neat and tidy, Luiz helped Chelsea dominate by regularly stepping into midfield to give them a numerical advantage as Forest defended in numbers.
Andreas Christensen: 6
After some questionable performances this season, the Dane was more solid this time, albeit against a side which offered very little going forward.
Emerson Palmieri: 7
Had a decent game on the left. Set up a first-half chance for Cesc Fabregas and always looked lively.
Ethan Ampadu: 7
Looked the part at centre-back last season and is equally comfortable in the centre of midfield, where he gave a mature performance. The youngster was unflustered, effortlessly keeping possession and putting a foot in when needed.
Ross Barkley: 6
An unspectacular display in midfield. A couple of misplaced passes aside, he used the ball well and got forward in support of the attack.
Cesc Fabregas: 7
Having a penalty saved in what is expected to be his final Chelsea appearance was not the send-off he would have wanted. His overall performance was vintage Fabregas; classy, composed and creative. He pulled the strings in midfield and went close with a long-range effort before being substituted to a standing ovation late on.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6
Won the penalty, looked lively in the opening half an hour and was obviously keen to impress and then crestfallen as he limped off three minutes before half-time.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 8
A terrific display from the exciting teenager, who showed exactly why Bayern Munich want him. As well as setting up both goals with crosses for Morata, he was denied a goal of his own by a fine save from Steele. Hudson-Odoi was excellent from the start, with a clever back-heel to Emerson early on setting the tone for a great performance.
Alvaro Morata: 7
Fluffed his lines in front of goal on occasions, not least when inexplicably lifting the ball over from three yards out before an offside flag spared his blushes. But he maintained his work-rate and was rewarded with two goals; the first a close-range finish and the second a well directed header into the far corner.
Eden Hazard: 6
On for Loftus-Cheek, Chelsea’s talisman didn’t get the rest he was supposed to. He was relatively quiet as Hudson-Odoi stole the show.