Huddersfield Town 1-3 Chelsea: Player Ratings

Coming off the back of a 1-0 defeat at hands of West Ham United, Chelsea returned to winning ways with a sublime performance against Huddersfield at the Kirklees Stadium, a venue where both Manchester clubs found it hard to get into the groove.

Conte decided to make four changes to his squad that faced West Ham United last weekend, with Antonio Rudiger and Victor Moses coming in for Gary Cahill and Davide Zappacosta respectively. Furthermore, with Alvaro Morata unavailable due to a back problem, the Italian decided to line Pedro and Willian upfront with Eden Hazard.

Dominating the first-half with nothing much to defend, Chelsea needed just 23 minutes to break the deadlock before Willian’s header gave them a comfort. Pedro finally made it three with a perfect finish from some 16 yards out. A late headed goal by Laurent Depoitre, however, ruined Chelsea’s perfect outing, but a win nevertheless remains impressive.

Talking numbers, Chelsea enjoyed a majority of the possession (64%) and managed 12 shots (5 on goal) compared to just 7 (2 on goal) for Huddersfield. Furthermore, Willian’s goal was Chelsea’s 10th headed Premier League goal this season; a new log thus far, as they only managed eight in the entirety of the previous season.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how Chelsea players fared in this utterly one-sided affair.

Thibaut Courtois – 6

Courtois was never really tested by the Terriers as almost every one of their attacks were dealt with in the midfield itself. The Belgian was called into action just once when Tom Ince was allowed a bit of a space on the left channel, but the slightest of a touch was enough to shrug off the danger.

A late, late goal from Laurent Depoitre, however, denied Courtois his clean-sheet.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 7

‘Azpilicueta and the long diagonal balls’ is a match made in heaven. Marcos Alonso had his name in the assists column for Willian’s goal, but it was all down to Azpilicueta’s ball which made it possible. With Morata absent, the Spaniard didn’t make many forward runs. Another stable performance by the centre-half.

Andreas Christensen – 7

The Danish centre-half was always alert and dealt perfectly with all of Huddersfield’s counter-attacks. With 10 minutes still to play, Conte decided to take him off. Maybe to give him a little rest that he rightly deserves.

Antonio Rudiger – 6

Replacing Cahill in the line-up, Rudiger wasn’t called into action much. But whenever served, he proved to be a tough nut to crack. His only test came against Laurent Depoitre late in the game and the German lost the physical battle, costing his side a goal.

Victor Moses – 7

Moses made his 200th Premier League appearance on the night

It certainly was a special night for the Nigerian, as not only he was celebrating his 27th birthday, he also reached the 200 Premier League appearance mark, joining the likes of the illustrious Nigerian company of Shola Ameobi, Nwankwo Kanu, Yakubu Aiyegbeni and John Obi Mikel in the group.

He worked tirelessly throughout the game, running up and down the right channel and provided a great width. Great performance by the Nigerian.

N'Golo Kante – 6.5

The Frenchman was always there to receive the ball. He wasn’t involved in any attacks, but his role was pivotal. With Southampton scheduled to pay a visit just three days later, Conte decided to bring him off early as a precautionary measure.

Tiemoue Bakayoko – 7

Bakayoko scored Chelsea's opener

The Frenchman’s inclusion was firmly criticized by the fans, but he delivered what Conte expected of him. Capitalizing on Willian’s lovely ball into the area, Bakayoko opened the scoring with a smooth finish.

This remained the Frenchman’s highlight as he had a relatively quiet second-half.

Marcos Alonso – 7.5

Alonso made some daunting forward runs and accompanied the likes of Pedro and Willian with relative ease. Delivering a perfect cross into the area, Alonso marked his first Premier League assist of the season in Willian’s goal.

He played his part in Chelsea’s third goal as well, as it was his cross that staggered the Huddersfield back-line in the build-up to Pedro’s strike.

Willian – 8.5

Willian was always a tricky customer for Huddersfield’s defence. Be it his quick one-twos or his flashy turns, the Brazilian was just too hot to handle. The 29-year-old was eventually at the end of Chelsea’s second goal, heading home from a deep cross by Marcos Alonso. Notably, he played a tiny part in Chelsea’s third goal as well.

A Man of the match performance by the Brazilian.

Eden Hazard – 6.5

A rather quiet performance by the Belgian, to say the least. He combined perfectly with Willian and Pedro, but couldn’t get a goal to his kitty. Hazard was eventually substituted, soon after the hour’s mark, to be replaced by Michy Batshuayi.

Pedro – 7

Pedro almost opened the scoring with a clever run early in the game, but his attempt was rightly ruled offside. The Spaniard, however, played his part in Chelsea’s opener as it was his pressure which forced Lossl to clear the ball recklessly.

The Spaniard then came close to add Chelsea’s third after going one on one against Lossl, but his attempt was aimed straight to the keeper. He did, however, made up for his fumble by firing a venomous drive from 16 yards out right into the corner. No keeper in the world could save those.

Substitutions:

Michy Batshuayi – 5.5

The Belgian came on to replace his fellow compatriot, Eden Hazard in the 69th minute, but hardly affected the course of the game.

Danny Drinkwater – 6

Drinkwater was brought on to replace N’Golo Kante and the former Leicester midfielder played some impressive diagonal balls. The English international seems to be in the contention to start the game against Southampton.

Ethan Ampadu – 5.5

Ethan Ampadu, Chelsea’s second ever youngster player, replaced Christensen with 10 minutes to play. He was slotted in the centre of the three-man defensive setup and despite making some nervy early touches, he subsequently settled well. It was good to see Ampadu getting some first-team action.