Chelsea defeated Everton thanks to a stoppage time goal from John Terry, thus earning all three points with a 1-0 victory. Below, you will see how the Chelsea players did and their ratings.
GK: Cech 8/10
Cool and composed as the veteran always seems to be, was tested on a few occasions and had two very good saves, one especially off a Mirallas flick.
RB: Ivanovic 7.5/10
Rarely does he deliver anything other than what is expected. A strong defensive presence and dangerous forward runs are typical to the Serbian’s style of play, his crossing lacked in today’s match, but defensively he was sound.
CB: Terry 8/10
Old captain reliable shored up his back four with authority and seemed to get a touch on the late Lampard free kick. Other than that, he put in an effective shift.
CB: Cahill 8/10
His tackling in the defensive third stuffed out many attacks that Everton attempted, his sacrifice of his body is also something to be applauded, he really gave all for his club today.
LB: Azpilacueta 9/10
The Spaniard was simply superb through the entirety of the match. Snuffed out many late Everton attacks and long balls, his presence in the back allowed Chelsea to maneuver forward.
CM: Lampard 8/10
Although he no longer has the legs of a youngster, being paired with Matic in the middle allowed Lampard more freedom.
CM: Matic 8.5/10
The Serbian is very comfortable sitting back defensively, Lampard as a result, is allowed to move forward, the Serbian covered every blade of grass and disrupted passes and attacks aimed in his direction.
RM: Willian 6.5/10
The Brazilian was not his usual self today, fatigue seemed to creep in. Offered little going forward and to Eto’o, and was rightfully taken off in place of Torres.
CAM:Oscar 5/10
This match was perhaps the Brazilian’s worst match of the season, he looked out of place and his passing was lethargic. Taken off at the half for Ramires as he was offering very little.
LM: Hazard 8/10
The magical little Belgian was his usual self, hasn’t found the goal lately, but his cutting runs and intricate little flicks of the ball set up his teammates to perfection throughout the match.
ST: Eto’o 6/10
Eto’o could find himself lucky to have played an hour in today’s match, his link up play with Hazard was sublime; however, that was all he offered in today’s match. Repeatedly committed fouls in the attacking third and was rightfully yanked for Schurrle.
Substitutes:
CM: Ramires 8/10
Brought on at halftime for the struggling Oscar, his pace and ability to stride forward transformed Chelsea’s attack in the 2nd half. He had a few chances, one in particular that sliced just wide of Howard’s near post.
LM: Schurrle 7/10
The German has yet to truly adapt his playing style to that of the Premier League and it shows. Late on he had an attempt go just wide, and an bad volley attempt in the area are proof of his poor judgment.
ST: Torres 8/10
The Spaniard came on to spearhead an attack between Eto’o and himself. A completely different Torres than the one we saw at the Etihad. Today, he challenged every ball, his passing was good and he had a chance fly just wide of the right post.
