Chelsea played hosts to Slavia Prague earlier tonight hoping to seal a passage through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. The Pensioners made a bright start to the match and took the lead in the 5th minute courtesy of Pedro’s goal. Simon Deli scored an unfortunate own goal just four minutes later which put the home side in a commanding position to secure qualification. The Pensioners scored two more goals in the first half via Olivier Giroud and Pedro while the visitors got a goal back via Petr Sevcik’s goal in the 25th minute.
The Czech Republic side refused to go down without a proper fight and scored two more goals in the second half courtesy of another strike from Sevcik and a goal from Tomas Soucek. The match ended with the final scoreline of 4-3 in favour of Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against Slavia Prague.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 5/10
The Spanish keeper made a solid save in the first half but could have done better with a couple of goals which Slavia Prague scored tonight.
RB: César Azpilicueta – 6.5/10
The Spanish right-back used his experience to make some important interceptions during the game. He also was a potent threat going forward in the first half.
CB: Andreas Christensen – 4.5/10
He struggled to cope with the threat of the Slavia attackers and was poor while defending inside his own penalty box.
CB: David Luiz – 5/10
The Brazilian played some wonderful forward passes in the first half, but he was quite dismal while facing his own goal. Conceding three goals never looks good for a top-level centre-back so he will be disappointed with his performance tonight.
LB: Emerson Palmieri – 4.5/10
It was a lacklustre display from the Chelsea full-back. He was not able to provide an outlet for his team down the left flank and was also defensively exposed in his own half.
CM: N’Golo Kanté – 7/10
The French workhorse dominated the midfield with his energy and effort in the first half. However, his performance level went down in the second, but he was still Chelsea’s best midfielder on the pitch.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 6/10
The Croat retained possession well in the first half. However, he was a bit ineffective while defending the Slavia counterattacks.
CM: Ross Barkley – 5.5/10
The former Everton midfielder showed some flashes of his form for England but still didn’t do enough to merit a regular starting berth at Stamford Bridge.
RM: Pedro – 8.5/10
The Spaniard found the back of the net twice and also got an assist to show for his efforts in the first half. His stellar contributions were enough to make a significant difference in this tie.
ST: Olivier Giroud – 8/10
The Frenchman held the ball up well and put in an impressive performance in the final third. He even managed to get his name on the scoresheet which will please Sarri.
LM: Eden Hazard – 5/10
The Belgian winger was marked closely by the visitors, so he really struggled to make an impact in the opposition half.
Substitutes:
LM: Willian – 5/10
The Brazilian playmaker was not able to influence the game after coming on in the second half.
CM: Jorginho – 5/10
He was a passenger throughout his time on the pitch.
RM: Callum Hudson-Odoi – N/A
He didn’t have enough time to make an impact.
