Chelsea v Cardiff player ratings

Eden Hazard grabbed a hat-trick as Chelsea went top of the Premier League by coasting to victory over Cardiff.

Here’s how we rated each Blues player as they came from behind to earn a 4-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6

He barely had a save to make, had no chance with Sol Bamba’s goal and his distribution was faultless.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 7

The Spaniard was as solid and dependable as ever in defence and provided a number of excellent trademark crosses from the right.

David Luiz: 7

He was unlucky to concede the free-kick that led to Chelsea falling behind and otherwise went about his work diligently and with the minimum of fuss. However, he, and his fellow defenders, will feel they should have done better for Bamba’s goal.

Antonio Rudiger: 7

The German was dominant in the air and confident in possession, moving the ball quickly and ensuring Chelsea were quick to counter attack.

Marcos Alonso: 8

The left-back was once again full of running and often the furthest man forward when the Blues attacked. Alonso still did his defensive work while constantly providing an outlet that proved a crucial factor in stretching the overworked visitors.

Jorginho: 7

He was typically unflappable and dictated much of Chelsea’s best moments, while also wisely deferring to Hazard and Matteo Kovacic when the time was right.

N’Golo Kante: 7

Kante had a slightly subdued start to the match but was increasingly influential at both ends of the pitch thereafter.

Matteo Kovacic: 8

Kovacic’s one-touch play was a joy to watch at times and he was a key reason for Chelsea’s dominance, barely giving the ball away and constantly probing and teasing the Cardiff rearguard. Hopefully his injury will not prove to be too serious.

Pedro: 7

A constant menace with a typically busy and direct performance, but his end product was lacking. Pedro could easily have ended up with a hat-trick, wasting one glorious opportunity and narrowly shooting off target on three other occasions.

Eden Hazard: 9

A majestic performance from Chelsea’s star man. Hazard was described as “unplayable” by Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock and that perfectly summed up the Belgian’s contribution. The run and strike for the first goal was wonderful, his second goal subtle and his penalty nerveless.

Olivier Giroud: 8

The Frenchman’s size belies a sublime touch which he combines with brilliant awareness. Both were to the fore as he set up Hazard’s first-half double. It was an excellent showing on his first Premier League start of the season.

Ross Barkley: 7

He was neat and tidy and made a decent contribution without being spectacular after replacing Kovacic on 50 minutes.

Willian: 8

Willian brought plenty of energy and constantly looked to run with the ball, an approach that proved extremely effective against a tiring defence. Won the penalty for Hazard’s goal and curled in an absolute beauty to seal the win.