Chelsea v Man Utd player ratings
Chelsea’s Carabao Cup run came to an end against Manchester United. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Willy Caballero: 5
The stand-in keeper had little to do in terms of shot-stopping but his distribution was often aimless and careless. Caballero will be distraught to be beaten by Marcus Rashford’s free-kick from around 30 yards, but it was a sensational hit and he could not be blamed.
Reece James: 8
James was strong and imposing in defence and equally impressive at the other end, sending in several teasing crosses and posing problems throughout. He has pace, power and great quality on the ball; it surely cannot be long before he is the first-choice right-back.
Kurt Zouma: 6
The Frenchman looked generally solid and dominant but once again had a couple of worrying lapses, slicing a clearance with the wrong foot and getting in a mess along with Cabellero and Marcos Alonso.
Marc Guehi: 7
The young centre-back was caught napping by a well-worked corner and lucky to get away with losing his man, but was otherwise more than decent.
Marcos Alonso: 5
A poor first half for the left-back, who often comes in for unfair criticism but deserved some harsh words for the clueless challenge that gifted United their penalty. He did everything he could to atone after the break, getting forward at every opportunity and setting up a great chance for Callum Hudson-Odoi, which was wasted, but the damage was done.
Jorginho: 8
He carried on where he left off against Burnley, dictating play, instigating most of the best moments and leading the way as Chelsea dominated the midfield after the break.
Mateo Kovacic: 7
The Croatian is forming a strong partnership with Jorginho, always demanding the ball and then using it well in tight areas with a mixture of his dribbling ability and some swift passing.
Billy Gilmour: 7
Tenacious, gutsy and fearless in possession, the 18-year-old Scot played with supreme confidence and looked the part both in a technical sense and in his attitude.
Christian Pulisic: 6
Unable to replicate his match-winning heroics from the weekend, but his work-rate never dipped and he had a couple of threatening moments, notably when he dragged a shot just wide.
Callum-Hudson-Odoi: 7
He was quiet in the first half and made a terrible hash of the glorious chance created by Alonso soon after the break, but was excellent thereafter, finding and creating space for others and running at defenders.
Michy Batshuayi: 7
A quite brilliant equaliser where he ran onto his own flick on and then powered his way to the edge of the box before finding the bottom corner with a rasping low strike. A fine second-half display made up for a frustrating first period, in which his hold-up play was shaky and his passing sloppy.
Mason Mount: 7
The England international’s introduction showed just how far his stock has risen, coming on as he did with the Blues trailing. He brought good composure and played with the confidence of a player who knows he is a first-team regular.
Pedro: 5
Plenty of effort and willing running but usually without an end product. It was his foul that led to Rashford’s winner.
Tammy Abraham: 6
Chelsea’s top scorer came on late on in place of Batshuayi but was unable to make a telling contribution.
