Samuel Eto’o scored a hat-trick to give Chelsea an excellent victory and boss Jose Mourinho his 100th Premier League win. Here’s how we rated the players in their 3-1 triumph against the champions.
Petr Cech: 7
Produced two important saves during a first half in which Manchester United caused problems. Scared his colleagues and the crowd with a dragback on his own line, but actually did very well as he was closed down quickly.
Branislav Ivanovic: 6
Made a welcome return from injury. Strong in the air and solid enough positionally.
John Terry: 8
Positionally faultless. Used the ball well and never looked flustered. Another fine performance from the captain.
Gary Cahill: 9
Superb defensively and set up two goals. Reliable, imposing and effective in both boxes.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 5
Given the nod ahead of Ashley Cole, he was caught out of position on numerous occasions. Was clearly targeted by United. In his defence, he stuck to his task and his pace often gets him out of trouble.
David Luiz: 6
Typically exuberant but less convincing than in recent weeks. Was too casual with the ball and guilty of committing himself in some dangerous areas. He got away with it but it wasn’t his most convincing display.
Ramires: 8
Tremendous stamina once again and a key role in a congested midfield. Constantly supported the attack and threatened to make or score a goal at least three times with his willingness to run into the box and support the forwards.
Oscar: 6
Busy and tidy but not as involved as he has been. Sometimes outnumbered in central areas, he struggled to impose himself against Michael Carrick and Phil Jones.
Eden Hazard: 8
Another fine performance from the breathtakingly talented Belgian. Produced a couple of mazy runs, flawless control and impressive strength on the ball.
Willian: 7
Some brilliant runs but a bit sloppy at times. Played well and contributed, but also surrendered possession too often. His work-rate is fantastic.
Samuel Eto’o: 9
A hat-trick and an all-round outstanding display. He was assured with his first touch and also showed some excellent off-the-ball running and barely wasted possession. Great play for his opening goal followed by two poacher’s goals. His best performance in a Chelsea shirt by some distance.
John Mikel Obi: 6
Steady and dependable. Just what was needed as Mourinho looked to shore things up in the final quarter of the match.
Manchester United
Very unfortunate to be trailing at the break – let alone by two goals. At 3-0 the game was as good as over but they still retained their shape and discipline and gave themselves a glimmer of hope in the final 10 minutes. Lacked presence in attack and the absence of an out-and-out frontman proved their ultimate downfall. Adnan Januzaj is a great prospect but needs more support and their system can be a little inflexible. That said, they had more possession and created the better opportunities before the break and could easily have gone ahead. Not a lot seems to be going for them at the moment.
Man of the match: Eto’o
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This post was last modified on 20/01/2014