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Swansea welcomed Chelsea to The Liberty Stadium with the hope of securing mathematical safety with a win against an inconsistent Blues side. The Swans started on the front foot and remained dominant throughout the game with Gylfi Sigurdsson putting them ahead midway through the first half and captain Ashley Williams assuring that Swansea maintained the lead.
Here are the player rating for the game –
Lukasz Fabianski – 6/10
The former Arsenal man and Polish international had an unusually quiet evening with his defence dealing effectively with the majority of Chelsea’s attacks and was rarely forced into action.
Angel Rangel – 6.5/10
Had another decent evening in a Swansea shirt with a composed performance at the back along with providing vital support while pushing forward.
Federico Fernandez – 7/10
Along with his captain, the Argentinean managed to thwart the majority of Chelsea’s attacks with ease and looked far more comfortable at the heart of the Swansea defence as he did at the start of the year.
Ashley Williams – 8/10
Swansea’s captain produced a defending master-class against the Blues where he broke up attacks with ease and always managed to get a tackle in when The Swans needed it the most.
Neil Taylor – 6/10
The Swansea fullback would liked to have had more of an impact in the game and was largely absent for large periods of the game.
Jack Cork – 6.5/10
The Englishman has grown in stature tremendously since his move from Southampton and produced another fine performance in the heart of the midfield.
Leroy Fer – 6.5/10
The Swansea midfielder managed to break up play consistently in the game and played a huge part in stifling many of Chelsea’s exploits in the game.
Andre Ayew – 6/10
An unusually quiet evening for the man from Ghana which saw him make much less of an impact than he usually does with most of Swansea’s attacks coming through Montero on the other flank.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7.5/10
The Iceland international has had a sensational start to the year and only continued his rich vein of form against The Blues with a wonderfully taken goal midway through the first half.
Jefferson Montero – 7/10
A fantastic performance from the Swansea winger which saw him torment Cesar Azpilicueta for much of the first half and played a vital role in Sigurdsson scoring in the first half.
Alberto Paloschi – 6.5/10
While the Italian may not have got on the score sheet, his work rate in the game certainly played a huge role in Swansea pressurising Chelsea into consistently giving the ball away.
Substitutes –
Wayne Routledge – 6/10
Failed to have much of an impact going ahead after coming on in the 67th minute but was useful in tracking back towards the end of the game.
Bafatembi Gomis – 5.5/10
Looked unusually lethargic after coming on much to the ire of the Swansea fans in attendance. Will have to do better to start for The Swans regularly.
Kyle Naughton – N/A
Chelsea
Asmir Begovic – 7.5/10
Impressed upon being given a surprise start ahead of Thibaut Courtois with some fine saves throughout the game and was Chelsea’s best player on the pitch this evening.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 5.5/10
The Spanish right back was given the run around early in the game by Jefferson Montero and looked out of sorts for much of the game. Will certainly be looking to improve in the games to come.
Matt Miazga – 6/10
The young American had an impressive debut against Villa but his performance against Swansea shows that he still has much to learn but can certainly grown into a regular at the back for The Blues in the years to come.
Branislav Ivanovic – 6/10
The Serbian has certainly improved as a centre back but still is far from his dominating best and was bullied off the ball on numerous occasions.
Baba Rahman – 5/10
The Ghana international looked out of sorts throughout the game and was unimpressive both at tracking back and pushing ahead. He will have to show massive improvement if he wants to be a part of Chelsea’s future.
John Obi Mikel – 6.5/10
The defensive midfielder has enjoyed a revival under Guus Hiddink and had another understated outing which saw him break Swansea’s play occasionally but would certainly have to improve on his contributions while going ahead.
Cesc Fabregas – 6/10
The Spaniard certainly had his moments in the game with some wonderful through balls but was largely ineffectual during the game and was a liability while tracking back.
Oscar – 6/10
His work-rate was fantastic as usual however his attacks were easily dealt with by Swansea throughout the match.
Ruben Loftus Cheek – 6/10
The young Chelsea Academy product certainly looks like a future regular for The Blues but will have to work on converting the chances that he gets as he was wasteful against The Swans.
Pedro – 5.5/10
The former Barcelona man’s performance was disappointing as he went through long periods of the game without getting a touch of the ball.
Alexandre Pato – 6/10
The Brazilian had a dream debut last week against Aston Villa but was a little wasteful against Swansea where he could have easily notched a couple of goals.
Substitutes –
Kenedy – 5.5/10
Was brought on at halftime to infuse Chelsea with some vigor while going ahead but couldn’t make the desired impact with Swansea’s defence holding strong to thwart Chelsea’s attacks.
Bertrand Traore – 6.5/10
Was brought on for Pato in the 64th minute and created some fine chances for Chelsea after coming on.
Radamel Falcao – 5.5/10
Brought on after a lengthy spell on the sidelines through injury but still looked a shadow of his once great self and has long way to go if he wants to get back to his best.
