Chelsea moved a step closer to Champions League qualification by seeing off Swansea at Stamford Bridge. Here’s how we rated the players in their 2-0 victory.
Petr Cech: 6
His distribution was good and he made a couple of reasonable, routine saves. A quiet afternoon.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8
Nullified the threat of the pacy Wayne Routledge impressively and supported the attack throughout. Played with confidence and was excellent in possession. Perhaps fortunate not to be sent off for a mistimed second-half tackle.
John Terry: 6
His presence brings so much and his second game in a few days shows his supposed fitness issues are not as bad as many believe. Looked solid and commanding when Chelsea were organised and had their defensive shape, but lack of pace was exposed on a couple of occasions and he was helped out by colleagues. As committed as ever.
Gary Cahill: 7
Covered his centre-back partner brilliantly on a couple of occasions, was dominant in defence and used the ball well. Should have scored with a six-yard header from a corner in the first half.
Ashley Cole: 7
Reliable as ever but Swansea’s deep line restricted his attacking forays. Tended to support in attack rather than look to bomb on. Had a decent game and was defensively sound but not as influential as he normally is.
David Luiz: 9
It’s hard to think of a better performance by a Chelsea player in a defensive midfield role this season. Steamed around the pitch from the first minute, harrying and tackling, winning possession and setting up attacks. Mixed stepovers with defensive quality and his energy was vital following Ramires’ early exit.
Ramires: 6
Quiet until he limped off after 24 minutes. If the knock is not severe – which is isn’t according to boss Rafael Benitez – then maybe it did the bustling Brazilian a favour. Didn’t appear to be at his brilliant best from the outset.
Oscar: 8
One of his better games for the Blues. Retained possession well under pressure, scored a cracking goal and got through a staggering amount of running.
Juan Mata: 8
Always involved. Brilliant footwork to win the penalty – another prime example of why he was a worthy contender for PFA player of the year.
Eden Hazard: 8
A constant menace with his pace and quick feet. Equally effective when running from deep or attacking in the final third. If it wasn’t Mata and Oscar posing problems, it was Hazard. Their relentless attacking play had to lead to goals at some point.
Demba Ba: 6
Steady but unspectacular. His presence and hold-up play is vital but he did not have his best game. His control and awareness let him down on a couple of occasions but he was desperately unlucky with a superb cross-shot in the second half.
Frank Lampard: 7
Brought calmness, patience, quality and variety to Chelsea’s midfield. Made countless runs into the opposition third, chasing goal number 202, and on another day would have had a hat-trick. Fitting that he should score and move to within one goal of Bobby Tambling’s all-time Chelsea goalscoring record on the day the former Blues striker was introduced to the crowd at half-time.
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This post was last modified on 29/04/2013