Chelsea made it eight straight Premier League wins as they came from behind to earn a 3-1 away win over Manchester City. Here’s how we rated the players in the smash-and-grab victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Finally the Belgian had work to do – and he fully earned his money with a top-class performance. He made several excellent saves from Sergio Aguero, never committed himself in one-on-ones – and his kicking was sound. He had no chance with the City goal.
Used his pace to great effect, but like all of Chelsea’s defenders, he was troubled by City’s nippy and nimble attack. Positionally he was excellent and was able to ride his luck and kept his attitude spot on even when the Blues looked like being over-run.
His own goal was unfortunate and, although he struggled to cope with the trickery, movement and goal threat posed by Aguero, he was far from alone. The England centre-back had a tough afternoon but he made one superb goal-line clearance to keep Chelsea in the game after the break and stuck to his task.
The Brazilian’s pace meant he had more success against City’s pace up front than Cahill. But like his defensive colleagues, the combination of City’s potent attack and the absence of the defensively minded Nemanja Matic meant he was often left exposed when the hosts attacked.
He was probably forced to do more defending in one match than he had to in seven previous appearances as a right wing-back, but more than held his own. Showed flashes of his attacking threat, notably when teeing up a chance for Diego Costa, but this was not a day for rampaging runs forward.
Gave a better performance than could reasonably be expected having not played since September. The Spaniard adjusted well to the pace of the game, but inevitably found the going tough as City packed the midfield and began to seize control. He ran relentlessly and his quality proved the turning point with his pass forward for Costa’s equaliser. Ended the game strongly, using his experience to maintain discipline against an agitated opposition.
He was once again magnificent, covering every patch of ground and inspiring his team-mates when City were well on top. He led by example and made countless vital defensive challenges as well as instigating a whole host of attacks with his quick passing.
One shocking back-pass aside, the Spaniard defended solidly enough but was rarely able to get forward. Like all his team-mates, he played well enough individually but City’s quality asked questions of the defensive unit and it was only wayward finishing and some excellent goalkeeping that stopped the hosts scoring more than the one goal.
The Spaniard had his least effective game for weeks and could not get involved, try as he might. He was replaced after 50 minutes but can be forgiven for an off day, having been so impressive on the eight-game winning run.
The opposition’s attacking intent meant Chelsea’s biggest threat was afforded much more time and space than he is normally given and he made the most of it. He was excellent for 30 minutes of the first half. And although he was on the periphery when City were on top, he came back strongly scoring a magnificent clinching goal to secure the points.
From Dirty Diego to Costa the Calm. The Spaniard acted as peacemaker, at the end of a pulsating match, knowing he had played a huge part in Chelsea’s win and the post-match nonsense didn’t matter. He scored a stunning goal, played a fine pass for the second and caused problems for John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi throughout. He was immense.
The Brazilian provided fresh impetus at the perfect time after he came on, forcing City on the back foot and relieving the pressure. His goal came at the end of a brilliant run and he did enough with the finish, shooting across goal – although a better keeper would surely have saved it.
This post was last modified on 04/12/2016