Chelsea played hosts to MOL Vidi FC at Stamford Bridge earlier tonight looking to consolidate their position at the top of their UEFA Europa League group table. The Pensioners dominantly began the match and created some excellent opportunities to open the goal-scoring. However, they were denied by some resolute Vidi defending as both teams went into half-time with nothing to separate them.
The second half was more of the same with the Pensioners pushing up the pitch to break the deadlock. They finally managed to make a breakthrough in the 70th minute courtesy of Alvaro Morata’s finish from close range. Chelsea hung on to claim the three points and win the match by a narrow scoreline of 1-0.
Let’s shed some light on how the Chelsea players fared during the match against MOL Vidi FC.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7/10
The Spaniard was hardly tested in the first half but kept his concentration to pull off an excellent save in the dying embers of the match.
RB: Davide Zappacosta – 5/10
He put in some good crosses into the box but was mostly ineffective going forward.
CB: Gary Cahill – 6/10
The English centre-back lacks pace, and the Vidi attack exploited it. However, he still used his experience and commanded the Chelsea backline well to secure a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 4/10
The Dane lacked composure in defence and made a few errors during the game which could have led to a Vidi goal. It was another disappointing showing from the Chelsea centre-back.
LB: Emerson Palmieri dos Santos – 5.5/10
The Brazilian was a great outlet for the Pensioners down the left flank and should have scored from the magnificent opportunity that fell to him. However, his impact on the game faded as the match went on, probably due to the lack of game time in recent weeks.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7.5/10
He made a few darting runs from midfield in the first half. The English midfielder retained the ball well and used his big frame to feed balls to others around him.
CM: Cesc Fàbregas – 6.5/10
The Spanish veteran delivered some glorious long passes during the game and played an integral part in the lead up to Morata’s goal.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 5/10
A rare bad day at the office for the Croatian international. He found it hard to get himself involved in the game, and whenever he got on the ball, the Croat failed to do anything significant in the opposition half.
RM: Pedro – 6/10
The Spaniard worked his socks off but lacked the cutting edge in the attacking third.
ST: Álvaro Morata – 6/10
The Spanish centre-forward missed an easy sitter in the first half. However, he came back strong and scored the winning goal in the 70th minute to earn all three points for Chelsea.
LM: Willian – 6/10
The Brazilian playmaker was guilty of squandering a few chances during the game and couldn’t create much going forward. Not the best display from him in a Chelsea shirt.
Substitutes:
CAM: Eden Hazard – 6/10
His quality is undeniable. However, he failed to make an impact after coming on as a substitute early in the second half.
CM: Ross Barkley – 6.5/10
He was always looking to be creative and added some fresh energy to the Chelsea midfield.
RM: Victor Moses – 5/10
He was a passenger for most of the time on the pitch.
