Chelsea and Manchester City are carrying the baton of the Premier League in Europe. Both of them have made it through to the semis of the prestigious Champions League competition, however, the Citizens were desperate this afternoon to clinch a Wembly win and keep their ‘quadruple’ hopes alive. The Blues, on the other hand, have scripted a stunning uprise under Thomas Tuchel who outsmarts Pep Guardiola en route to claiming a 1-0 FA Cup semifinal victory defying the odds.
Below are the Chelsea players rated in their stunning 1-0 win against Manchester City.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 7
The Spaniard has lost his place to Edouard Mendy following an array of erroneous outings. Returned between the sticks for this Cup contest, but the Skyblues failed to threaten him enough even after conceding. Made some routine saves and registered a cleansheet.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8
Operated from the right of Chelsea’s ‘three-man’ defence. Made his presence known by winning duels, timely tackles, recoveries and interceptions. Conceded some tactical fouls and used his experience to contain the tricky Raheem Sterling from the flank.
Thiago Silva: 8
Dominated aerially, also made an impression with his passing and distribution under pressure. Was in the right place at the right time and could not be breached even once before leaving the pitch in the closing minutes with an injury. Kurt Zouma replaced him in the heart of the backline.
Antonio Rudiger: 7.5
Another resilient display from the German international who has transformed into a towering centre-half since Tuchel’s appointment. Was spot on with his tackles and the no-nonsense clearances kept on frustrating the opponents.
Reece James: 7
Had an attempt from the distance that missed the target narrowly. Was effective from his wingback role with timely recovery runs, but his dribbling attempts were unsuccessful as he got dispossessed on a couple of occasions.
N’Golo Kante: 8
Kept his calm while holding the ball and creating space for his teammates by drawing the City players closer. Made some down-the-middle runs and his enormous work rate hindered the Citizens from playing their usual passing and possessional football.
Jorginho: 7.5
Was rusty at times with his tackles, but his impact was immense in terms of breaking down the Man City moves and converting defence into attack from the deep-lying midfield role.
Ben Chilwell: 7.5
Energetic from the left-hand flank as he kept on creating chances and combining with the likes of Mount and Werner. Whipped in crosses and long balls to break City’s highline on quite a few occasions.
Hakim Ziyech: 8
Proved to be the difference between these two sides when he found the net from a close range after picking up Werner’s pass. Was lively all throughout and received plaudits from the gaffer while making way for Emerson late in the match.
Mason Mount: 8.5
Another impressive display from the youngster who played a key part in the build-up of Ziyech’s goal. Won the most number of duels as his dribbling and swift footwork kept causing menace in City defence. Made way for Christian Pulisic around the 70th-minute mark.
Timo Werner: 8
Still struggling to find the net but made a major contribution this afternoon by setting it up for Ziyech 10 minutes after the break. Was replaced by Kai Havertz late in the game.
Chelsea Substitutes Vs Manchester City
Christian Pulisic: 6.5
Looked lively since coming on. Found the net in the added minutes which, however, got ruled out for offside.
Kai Havertz: 6
Tried his best to hold the ball and ensure a victory.
Emerson: 6
Helped the Blues defend the narrow lead in the closing minutes of the tie.
Kurt Zouma: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
