Chelsea despite maintaining an unbeaten run in the Premier League, looked a little off-colour lately before the international break. They, however, had a massive test this evening at Wembley against an in-form Tottenham Hotspur who looked to climb over the Blues to grab the third place in league standings behind Manchester City and Liverpool. A blistering start, meanwhile, saw Spurs netting twice in early minutes and dominate throughout to secure a 3-1 victory.
Maurizio Sarri suffered his first Premier League defeat as his side failed to show any resilience against Pochettino’s army.
Below are the Chelsea players rated and slated in their shocking defeat against Spurs.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 5.5
The young custodian should have done better to prevent the first goal but saved his side from further humiliation making a number of excellent saves throughout 90 minutes.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6
Did not look comfortable enough at the back against crosses and set-pieces. Yet he dealt some threats banking on his experience and also assisted Olivier Giroud in closing seconds to pull one goal back.
Antonio Rudiger: 5.5
Rudiger struggled against the pace and flair of the Spurs attack and often left space behind allowing the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to have free runs while combining in and around the defensive third.
David Luiz: 5
Made some crucial blocks and clearances but made a massive mistake in Spurs’ second of the afternoon as he got out of the way of Kane’s strike leaving Kepa flat-footed.
Marcos Alonso: 5.5
Was shambolic defensively as he was often out of position when the hosts hit back on the counter. Failed to threaten while going forward and his shooting, one of his strengths, let him down miserably all evening.
Jorginho: 5
An evening to forget for the Italian who had a nightmare when Son bullied him with pace and power to craft a beautiful solo goal. Could not pull strings from his deep-lying role and kept on losing duels frequently.
N’Golo Kante: 6
Made some purposeful runs forward and also had a few crucial interceptions deep down the midfield. But he struggled against the physicality and fluency of Spurs’ attacking transition which often left him clueless in the centre of the pitch.
Mateo Kovacic: 5.5
Made a few key passes in their attacking third but the hosts were alert at the back and did not allow the Croatian to take charge of the midfield game with his one-twos and link-up football. Was replaced by Ross Barkley just before the hour mark.
Willian: 6
Had a few successful dribbles, however, failed to find his teammates inside the box despite some laudable crossing attempts. Was replaced by Olivier Giroud around the 76th-minute mark.
Eden Hazard: 6
The Belgian wizard tried his best to stage a comeback but was closely monitored by the Spurs defensive line which never allowed Hazard to have enough space to run and make goal-bound attempts from a distance.
Alvaro Morata: 5
Hugely disappointing yet again as the Spaniard wasted his opportunities one after another and hardly managed to get along his teammates who were struggling to fight back. Was replaced by Pedro just before the hour mark.
Substitutes
Pedro: 6
Injected pace in the attacking third and created a few chances. But his efforts went in vain as the visitors failed to avoid their first defeat since the Community Shield.
Ross Barkley: 5.5
Failed to make any notable contribution despite a few strong runs and attempts to bring the Blues back in contention.
Olivier Giroud: 7
Found the net in closing seconds which, however, was too late and nothing but a consolation.
