A narrow 1-0 win for Chelsea against Bournemouth was enough to see the Blues jump back in the top four. They have now cut down the gap on third place Tottenham to just one point and are looking finally like a side capable of winning by digging out matches as all champions must do.
Let us look at how the players performed:
Thibaut Courtois: 7.5
A relatively easy night for the Belgian just having to make a handful of simple saves later in the match. He will be happy after getting a much needed clean sheet.
Davide Zappacosta: 7.5
Another dependable performance with a non-nonsense attacking style, Zappacosta will improve leaps and bounds if he gets enough game time
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8.5
A captain’s performance from the Spaniard, he was on hand to provide absolutely crucial blocks to see Chelsea hold on to their 1-0 lead.
David Luiz: 7.5
Dealt well with the threat of Afobe but will hardly have an easier night in terms of defending.
Antonio Rudiger: 7.5
Looked calm and composed playing tonight. He was aggressive and forms a good combination with Luiz and Azpilicueta.
Marcos Alonso: 7.5
Another shift, another dependable performance the Spaniard has learnt really well on how to do the basics correct.
Cesc Fabregas: 8
A good night for the Spaniard who pulled the strings for Chelsea in the second half and showed great energy throughout the match. Could have scored one for himself but missed from a narrow angle.
Tiemoue Bakayoko: 7
A better and improved performance from the Frenchman. Used his body well to shield balls and win tackles. However still needs to work on his temperament as he tried playing some pointless fancy balls and ended up losing possession.
Pedro: 7.5
A typical energy-packed performance from the Spaniard. Linked up well with Morata and Hazard and created quite a few chances for Chelsea but failed to convert any.
Alvaro Morata: 7
A quiet night for the Spaniard who failed to score after missing a couple of sitters. Did provide a loopy assist for the magical Hazard but his contribution ended there.
Eden Hazard: 10
Back to his best on the night, he ran around the pitch creating trouble for Bournemouth everywhere he went. Created a flurry of chances for his team, linked up the play with every player on the pitch to give Chelsea the attacking momentum and finally rounded off the night by scoring the only goal of the match, a lethal left foot narrow-angle drive into Begovic’s near post.
Danny Drinkwater: 6.5
Still working back to his full fitness, he looked decent on the ball.
Willian: 6.5
A small cameo from the Brazilian but his quality was visible as he nicely did whatever the coach asked of him.
Michy Batshuayi: 6
A quiet night for the Belgian who played a small portion of the match and never got good enough service to score a goal.
