Chelsea locked horns with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium earlier this evening as they hoped to secure a win and secure qualification into the semifinal stage of the FA Cup. The Blues made a bright start to the game and got their noses ahead in the 15th minute when Romelu Lukaku scored with a tidy finish. Hakim Ziyech doubled his team’s lead just 16 minutes later as the West London outfit went into the half-time interval 2-0 up on the scoreline.
Both sides canceled each other out in the second 45 minutes as the match ended with Chelsea cruising to a 2-0 win on the road.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against Middlesbrough.
GK: Edouard Mendy – 6.5/10
The Senegalese keeper didn’t have a save to make in the game and secured an easy clean sheet away from home.
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 7/10
The Spaniard earned the ball back a couple of times during the game. He also cleared the danger when required.
CB: Thiago Silva – 7.5/10
The Brazilian centre-back maintained a solid defensive shape at the back and won plenty of 50-50 duels in the air.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 7/10
Rudiger made two crucial interceptions inside his half and performed well enough to restrict the opposition from scoring tonight.
LB: Malang Sarr – 7/10
He fulfilled his defensive responsibilities quite well and made one key chance going forward.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 6.5/10
Kovacic made one good run with the ball but could last only 68 minutes.
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7/10
He made an impact at both ends of the field and did well to help Chelsea get the win.
RW: Hakim Ziyech – 7.5/10
Ziyech created some meaningful openings for others around him and scored the decisive second goal for Chelsea just after the half-hour mark.
CAM: Mason Mount – 8/10
The English talent was always looking to create openings for his teammates and has got two assists to show for his efforts this evening.
LW: Christian Pulisic – 6/10
He had one bright moment in the game and offered very little in the final third.
ST: Romelu Lukaku – 8/10
Lukaku took his goal well early on in the game and was a constant menace in front of the Middlesbrough goal for the remainder of the contest.
Substitutes:
LAM: Timo Werner – 6/10
The German attacker added some pace to Chelsea’s attack.
CM: N’Golo Kante – 6/10
He made one good chance in the opposition half.
LM: Kenedy – N/A
He didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
CM: Harvey Vale – N/A
Vale hardly had any time to influence the game.
