Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea: Player Ratings
- George Butler
- @GeorgeButler118
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Chelsea edged past Arsenal in a cagey 1-0 win over Arsene Wenger’s men as Guus Hiddink kept his unbeaten streak intact and to provide a dent to Arsenal’s title hopes.
The Blues got off to a fast start as Diego Costa’s defence-splitting run to latch onto a Willian through led to a desperate lunge from Per Mertesacker who received a straight red card.
It was Costa who scored the winner for the Blues five minutes later as Chelsea dug in to prevent an Arsenal equaliser.
Chelsea have now gone nine games unbeaten against their fellow Londoners and move up to 13th with the win.
We’ve rated each player’s performance, do you agree?
Thibaut Courtois - 7
Commanded the area well on a number of occasions despite a slight mishandle on one occasion. Regardless of the Arsenal pressure late on in the game, the Belgian was rarely called into action.
Branislav Ivanovic - 6
The Serbian was solid for Chelsea despite the threat of Theo Walcott’s pace until the introduction of Alexis Sanchez in the second half. The Chilean breezed past the 31-year-old all too easily, however, Ivanovic did provide a fantastic cross for Diego Costa to poke home.
John Terry - 8
Ever present at the back, the skipper led by example by not allowing Arsenal a sight on goal. Even though the Gunners were down to 10 men, the 34-year-old commanded the back four with aplomb and made key blocks and clearances as they held onto the lead.
Kurt Zouma - 7
Zouma has been key in sweeping up behind the back four and he continued that trend today. Once Olivier Giroud was taken off, Zouma had to contend with Walcott’s pace but was able to hold the line to catch the Englishman out.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 7
Solid as ever down the left, Azpilicueta barely gave Joel Campbell a sniff. With Chelsea defending their lead, the Spaniard was restricted in his attacking play but was astute defensively throughout and was able to stifle the pace of the Arsenal attack.
John Obi Mikel - 7
Seemingly Hiddink’s lucky charm, the Nigerian once again was a huge presence in the middle of the park for Chelsea as he controlled the tempo and managed to keep Mesut Ozil quiet. He struggled at times with the pace of Arsenal, but performed his protection role excellently.
Nemanja Matic - 5
Matic was given the licence to roam forward in attack but the big Serbian was almost anonymous in the second half. His distribution was the highlight of his afternoon but he was almost always caught out on the counter and failed to provide a threat in the opponent’s final third.
Oscar - 7
Forced to play a wider role, the Brazilian linked up well with his fellow Chelsea attackers as the Blues probed Arsenal in the opening 20 minutes and forced Cech to push his shot onto the post. He was quieter after Chelsea took the lead but was disciplined in his defensive duties.
Cesc Fabregas - 9
Chelsea’s star man, the ex-Arsenal captain pulled the strings for the side once again. Oozing quality every time he touched the ball, the Spaniard tore Arsenal apart with his pinpoint accurate passing but also showed his intention to drive and pull defenders out of position. Quite simply, Fabregas made a number of Arsenal players fall to the floor.
Willian - 7
Provided the defence-splitting ball which forced Mertesacker to foul Costa as he raced through on goal. The Brazilian missed a good chance early on as he fired his shot straight at Cech but his pace was always threatening Nacho Monreal on the right and was a constant threat with his tenacity on the ball and willingness to test Arsenal’s defence.
Diego Costa - 8
Diego continued his fine run of form under Hiddink with another impressive display. The Spaniard carved open Arsenal’s defence which led to Mertesacker’s ill-fated tackle and added a goal minutes later after a darting front post run and a quality finish to beat Petr Cech.
Substitutes
Loic Remy = 5
Came on after Costa’s injury forced Chelsea into a substitution but the Frenchman fluffed his lines on a number of chances to finish the game off. He looked uninterested and unwilling to work hard.
Eden Hazard = 6
Returned from injury and was introduced with Chelsea defending against Arsenal’s pressure, so he had little to do. Despite weeks off, the Belgian looked sharp and led a number of Chelsea counter attacks that his team mates were unable to finish off.