Dynamo Kiev v Chelsea player ratings

Olivier Giroud scored a hat-trick as Chelsea strolled into the quarter-finals of the Europa League with an impressive 8-0 aggregate win over Dynamo Kiev. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the crushing 5-0 second-leg victory in Ukraine. 

Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6

He finally had a shot to save after 50 minutes when some slack defending allowed Serhiy Sydorchuk a sight of goal, which the on-rushing Kepa did very well to keep out. That was the keeper’s only moment of interest on a relaxing evening in Kiev.

Davide Zappacosta: 6

Chelsea’s stand-in right-back did a steady, but unspectacular job against very limited opposition and won the free-kick which led to Giroud’s hat-trick goal before going off after sustaining a knock.

Andreas Christensen: 7

An untroubled defensive shift for the Dane, who also used the ball sensibly, with one particularly fine crossfield pass catching the eye in the first half.

Antonio Rudiger: 7

Like his centre-back partner, Rudiger had very little cause for concern with only a five-minute spell by the hosts soon after the restart posing any minor concerns.

Marcos Alonso: 7

He was excellent in attack, scoring a simple goal thanks to a clever run into the box, setting up another with a delightful cross for Giroud and also hitting the post with a sumptuous free-kick. But Alonso was not convincing defensively, failing to close down his man to stop crosses on a couple of occasions and being too easily beaten on the outside.

Mateo Kovacic: 7

Looked at home in the ‘Jorginho role’, zipping the ball about with good tempo and ensuring Chelsea always looked like having an attacking momentum to much of the passing in their own half.

N’Golo Kante: 8

Dominated the midfield for his 65 minutes on the pitch, providing the perfect link between Kovacic in defensive areas and the more forward thinking Ruben-Loftus Cheek.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 9

Bubbly, direct and effective from the outset, Loftus-Cheek predictably brought an urgency that the Chelsea midfield so often lacks. His near-post flick led to the early goal and he was outstanding in the first half and more than decent in the second period when the tempo fell off with the game done and dusted.

Willian: 7

His first cross after just 11 seconds was poor but after that Willian did very little wrong. His dribbling ability was way too good for the opposition and his delivery – so often his downfall – was spot-on, notably for Giroud’s hat-trick goal.

Callum Hudson-Odoi: 8

Refreshingly innocent in his approach and clear-minded thinking when in possession, the teenage winger celebrated his England Under-21 call-up with another exciting display.

Olivier Giroud: 9

Giroud’s instinctive half-volley set the tone for a clinical win and the Frenchman’s hat-trick was just reward for a fine performance leading the line. Powerful in the air, good on the deck and his pass to tee up Hudson-Odoi for the fifth goal was exceptional.

Jorginho: 6

Settled in to the holding role with typical calmness when he came on and played a big part in ensuring a clean sheet when there was a danger of the team losing their defensive shape.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 6

Azpilicueta was forced into action to replace the injured Zappacosta and, a well as bringing typical commitment, he managed to get booked.

Pedro: 6

He saw very little of the ball after coming on in the final 15 minutes.

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