Chelsea looked a shadow of the team they were a few weeks ago, while Fulham deserved their draw and had chances to take all three points. Here’s how we rated the players in Wednesday’s west London derby.
Petr Cech: 7
Chelsea’s keeper didn’t have much to do before producing a really good save to keep out a deflected effort from John Arne Riise.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7
Another solid display. Was kept busy by Hugo Rodallega as Fulham looked to the Colombian on the counter-attack.
Branislav Ivanovic: 7
Solid and avoided the temptation to get too close to Dimitar Berbatov when the Fulham forward dropped deep and looked to get midfielders beyond him and into the box.
David Luiz: 7
Did well, although Chelsea’s more conservative style perhaps meant he didn’t bring the ball out as often as usual, which helped Fulham control the midfield. Luiz pushing on at times might have helped the home side.
Ashley Cole: 6
Reliable at left-back but is another player who looks less adventurous under Rafael Benitez. But that was in part down to Fulham doing a good job of pinning him back.
Oriol Romeu: 6
Has ability but still looks taken aback by the nature of English football. Caught out a few times.
Ramires: 7
A presence in both boxes, working hard all evening.
Eden Hazard: 5
Anonymous for large periods of the game. Found the going tough.
Oscar: 6
Was Chelsea’s main attacking threat and is a joy to watch, but Fulham defended well against him.
Ryan Bertrand: 6
Tracked back well, as you would expect. Had a go on the left but was never likely to offer anything like the attacking threat of Juan Mata.
Fernando Torres: 5
Defended by Benitez afterwards but continues to struggle. Unlucky not to score in the second half though, when his goal-bound shot was cleared by Aaron Hughes.
Juan Mata: 6
Got into some good positions after coming on but Chelsea still found it hard to create chances.
Mark Schwarzer: 7
The Fulham keeper produced an important first-half save from Torres.
Sascha Riether: 7
Easily contained Bertrand on the flank and got forward himself.
Philippe Senderos: 6
Uncomfortable at times but played his part in a defensively sound display.
Aaron Hughes: 8
His form dipped recently but he was back to his best in this game. Produced a vital clearance off the line late on.
John Arne Riise: 7
Strong at both ends of the pitch but wasted a great chance to break the deadlock early in the second half.
Mahamadou Diarra: 8
Excellent display in front of the back four. Helped by Chelsea’s more cautious style of play but still did a fine job.
Damien Duff: 7
Did nothing spectacular but kept Cole occupied, limiting the England man’s chances to get forward.
Steve Sidwell: 7
Composed throughout against his former club. Used the ball sensibly.
Giorgos Karagounis: 7
Had a good game. Always looked to create something and did so when he laid on a great chance for Riise with a fine cross-field ball.
Hugo Rodallega: 7
Always a threat on the counter-attack and tracked back well too.
Dimitar Berbatov: 7
A class act again, holding the ball up and bringing others into play with total assurance.
Chris Baird: 6
Came on as a substitute midway through the second half and was typically dependable.
Kerim Frei: 7
Made a real impact after his introduction, running at the Chelsea defence and ensuring Fulham remained dangerous on the break until the end.
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This post was last modified on 02/12/2012