Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace: Every player rated as Morata’s first Stamford Bridge brace secures all three point

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A brace from Alvaro Morata helped Chelsea maintain their unbeaten run as they suffocate Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Palace did well to withstand Chelsea’s high press in the first half an hour, and the Blues looks frustrated as they failed to carve their way through Palace’s compact defence.

They finally made their way through after 30 minutes when Morata latched on to Pedro’s pass to finish comfortably from close range.

Palace came out after the break with a spring in their step and put the Blues under pressure. It paid off in in the 53rd minute when Andros Townsend finished off a sweetly timed pass from James McArthur to equalise. The fight back had begun, but it didn’t endure as Chelsea stepped up a gear.

Palace might feel hard done by as Chelsea’s second and third goal could have been prevented if they had maintained their sharpness at the back.

Here are the player ratings from Chelsea’s 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6 – A quiet game between the sticks, couldn’t do much to prevent the equaliser.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 –  Linked up very well with Pedro on the left flank and made some good crosses. Co-operated well with his defensive partners to stuff out Palace’s counter attacks. Could have done better at the back at times this afternoon.

David Luiz – 7 – The Brazilian was excellent at the back; made some crucial blocks and excelled at coping with Wilfried Zaha’s runs. That was until he got caught out early in the second half when they were beaten by a pass played right through the middle and could do nothing to prevent Townsend’s finish.

Antonio Rudiger – 7 – Worked well with Luiz and his teammates in midfield to overwhelm Palace on the rare occasions when they has possession. Was caught napping for Palace’s equaliser.

Marcos Alonso – 7 – As usual the Spaniard excelled going forward and linked well with Willian to get balls into the box, one or two of which were a tad misdirected. Worked well to stifle any attacks.

N’golo Kante – 7 – A solid but unremarkable performance from the Frenchman. The diminutive midfielder doesn’t have to cover the same amount of ground that he’s had to under previous managers and is no longer the star of the Blues’ midfield since Jorginho arrived from Napoli.

Jorginho – 7 – Soild in midfield as per usual as he quarter-backed another victory for the Blues.

Ross Barkley – 7 – Barkley’s interplay with Alonso and Willian was excellent at times this afternoon. He made the odd poor judgement when on the ball, but a good performance overall.

Willian – 7 – Was a lively presence going forward and enjoyed plenty of the ball, but he couldn’t quite penetrate Palace’s back-line.

Pedro – 9 – Excellent performance from the Spaniard. He assisted Morata’s opening goal, combined well with Azipilcueta on the right flank and confused defenders with some excellent dribbles. Met Alonso’s cross with a cool finish for the Blues’ third.

Alvaro Morata – 8 – Morata’s showed excellent composure for his first goal after he received Pedro’s pass from six yards out. Was not picked up at the back post for his second of the afternoon, but he finished well from a difficult angle. Should have had a hat-trick.

Substitutues

Eden Hazard (for Willian 63) – 7 – Made an impact straight away by winning and then delivering a free-kick that led to Morata’s second goal.

Mateo Kovatic (for Ross Barkley 63) – 7 – Came on with a view to going forward and played Well on the left side of Chelsea’s midfield.

Cesc Fabregas (for Jorginho 80) – NA – Late sub.

Crystal Palace

Wayne Hennessey – 5 – Made a few good stops, but was let down by some loose defending.

Aaron wan-Bissaka – 6 – Completely missed Morata for his second goal and gave way too much space to Alonso. Like Van Aanholt he allowed too many crosses.

James Tomkins – 6 – Defended valiently against Chelsea’s sustained forward play. Didn’t get tight enough on set pieces and gifted Luiz a free header in the second half.

Mamadou Sakho – 6 – Made some crucial blocks and challenges, but he lost the battle today as Chelsea were nearly a constant threat this afternoon.

Patrick Van Aanholt – 6 – Did not cope with Pedro and Azipilicueta and allowed far too many crosses to be delivered from the right flank. Was better going forward and gave Chelsea several frights in the second half.

James McArthur – 6 – Maintained a good shape for most of the game, but struggled to get hold of the ball as Chelsea pounced on every moment of Palace’s possession. Made a delicate pass for Townsend’s equaliser.

Luka Milivojevic – 6 – Struggled to get hold of the ball, but defended well.

Cheikhou Kouyate – 6 – Like Milivojevic he helped his side maintain a good shape, but Palace’s midfield was run ragged this afternoon.

Andros Townsend – 7 – Was feeding off scraps for much of this game. But he was Palace’s best player when he had some room to manoeuvre. Great finish with his weaker foot.

Wilfried Zaha – 7 – Was crowded out – sometimes by five Chelsea players – whenever he got the ball this afternoon. The Ivorian made some excellent dribbles, but he didn’t have enough support from his team mates and often ended up tripping over his own step overs.

Max Meyer – 6 – Occasionally contributed to some promising counter attacks on the left flank. Did not provide enough cover for Van Aanholt.

Substitutes:

Jordan Ayew (for Max Meyer 70) – NA – Made no impact. 

Jeff Schlup (for James McArthur 80) – NA – Late sub.

The post Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace: Every player rated as Morata’s first Stamford Bridge brace secures all three point appeared first on Squawka News.



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