Chelsea faced off against Dynamo Kiev earlier tonight having secured a 3-0 victory at home in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie. The Pensioners began this match on the offensive and took the lead in the 5th minute courtesy of Olivier Giroud’s goal. It was the Frenchman who struck again in the 33rd minute to put the contest to bed. Marcos Alonso also got his name on the scoresheet just before half-time to hand Chelsea a three-goal advantage at the break.
Giroud completed his hattrick just 14 minutes into the second half when he scored with his header. Chelsea scored their fifth goal of the night when Callum Hudson-Odoi broke away and found the back of the net with a composed finish. The match ended with Maurizio Sarri’s men securing a comfortable 5-0 victory over Kiev.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against Dynamo Kiev.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7/10
The Spanish keeper was hardly tested during the game, but he did pull off a fine save in the second half to keep a comfortable clean sheet for the visitors.
RB: Davide Zappacosta – 5/10
He didn’t have to break a sweat defensively but was not that effective going forward. It was an unimpressive performance from the Italian full-back.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger – 7/10
The German defensive ace commanded his own box with authority and did enough defensively to earn a shut-out at the back.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 7.5/10
He also had a good game while operating in the heart of the Pensioners defence. He made some crucial blocks in the second half, but it was a relatively easy night’s work for him.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 8/10
The Spanish full-back was outstanding tonight as he managed to perform well on the pitch. He got a goal and an assist to show for his efforts.
CM: N’Golo Kanté – 8/10
The Frenchman was full of running as he was given a lot of time and space to be effective in the Dynamo Kiev half. He linked up with Hudson-Odoi quite effectively to cause a lot of problems for the Dynamo defenders.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 7.5/10
The Croat looked confident while playing in a quarterback role for his team. He was good with his distribution and justified Sarri’s faith in him by putting in an excellent performance tonight.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 9/10
The Chelsea youngster put in a brilliant performance in midfield. He showed a lot of creativity and was pretty direct with his running in the opposition half.
RM: Callum Hudson-Odoi – 8/10
The Pensioners starlet had a good game as he ended up with a goal and an assist to show for his efforts.
ST: Olivier Giroud – 10/10
The French centre-forward completed a perfect hattrick as he scored with both his feet and also with his head. It was a perfect night’s work for him.
LM: Willian – 7.5/10
The Brazilian was quite bright and inventive in the first half. He was a creative force for Chelsea down the left flank.
Substitutes:
CM: Jorginho – 6/10
He didn’t add much to the game going forward. However, he kept things ticking for Sarri’s side in midfield.
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 6/10
The Spaniard was defensively sound after coming on to replace Zappacosta.
CAM: Pedro – 5/10
The Spanish forward struggled to make an impact in the opposition half.
