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Chelsea edged out a struggling Swansea City side at Stamford Bridge to remain third in the Premier League. In a game which saw manager Antonio Conte ordered to the stands for vehemently protesting against a decision made by the officials, defender Antonio Rudiger provided the vital breakthrough early in the second half after N'Golo Kante's shot deflected into his path.
Final score: Chelsea 1-0 Swansea City
Goals: Antonio Rudiger - 55'
Here are the player ratings from the encounter:-
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois - 6.5
Courtois didn't have to make a single save the whole game.
Gary Cahill - 7
Cahill, like his fellow defenders, was hardly tested at the back as the Swans were never really allowed to get out of their defensive third.
Andreas Christensen - 7
Christensen had a field day at the office owing to Chelsea's dominance in Swansea's half. He did his job of making clearances during the rare moments Swansea had a sniff at goal.
Antonio Rudiger - 8
Rudiger gets the Man of the Match award for his goal after Chelsea had been frustrated by Paul Clement's side. Defensively he was not given any stern examinations as Swansea barely provided any quality going forward.
Davide Zappacosta - 7
Zappacosta made a number of presses down the wing as Olsson kept dropping deep. He was also able to deliver a number of crosses to keep Swansea's centre-halves busy.
N'Golo Kante - 7
Kante was as solid as ever in front of his back three, easily breaking Swansea's play when they tried to move forward. He was also able to get involved in Chelsea's attacking pursuits, reflecting their thorough dominance on proceedings.
Cesc Fabregas - 6.5
Fabregas' passing was not as piercing owing to Swansea playing three in midfield. However, he was able to feed his wing-backs and release them with ease for a majority of the game.
Marcos Alonso - 6
Alonso was dynamic going forward but missed a good opportunity to score. His crosses were slightly off target and had minimal defensive duties.
Willian - 7
Willian had a fantastic second half, dictating the tempo of the game as Chelsea peppered the Swansea goal. His movements were a handful for Roque Mesa and the Brazilian always looked a good pass away from releasing Morata on goal.
Pedro - 6
Pedro was not as effective as Willian in an attacking role, failing to get in behind the defence or splitting them with a through pass lofted ball.
Alvaro Morata - 6.5
It was a night of frustration for the Spanish striker, as he was constantly denied by Fabianski in goal. He was a dangerous predator inside the box and gave young Mawson a run for his money with his movements and ability to get a shot away quickly.
Substitutes:
Victor Moses - 5
Moses is still on a comeback trail from injury. That was clearly evident from an underwhelming performance during his 15-minute stint, making no effective runs or passes.
Eden Hazard - N/A
Apart from a handful of passes, the fleet-footed midfielder didn't have much time to make an impact on the game.
Danny Drinkwater - N/A
The ex-Leicester City midfielder was brought on to see the game out.
Swansea City
Lukasz Fabianski - 7.5
Fabianski was a busy goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge, making save after save to keep his side in the hunt.
Kyle Naughton - 6
Naughton was never given a chance to ply his trade going forward as Chelsea bossed the game. Defensively, he was able to keep Alonso in check but needs to hold his ground longer before committing challenges.
Mike van der Hoorn - 7
van der Hoorn was impressive in defence, repelling Chelsea attack after another with some important defensive headers and clearances.
Alfie Mawson - 6.5
Mawson also had a busy evening at Stamford Bridge, dealing with cross after cross and being constantly kept on his toes by Morata's movement inside the 18-yard box.
Martin Olsson - 6
Olsson struggled against the pace and intensity displayed by Zappacosta down the flank. He was playing catch up with the Chelsea wingback throughout as the latter kept making approaches towards the Swans' byline to open up a goalscoring chance via a square pass or cross.
Roque Mesa - 6
Mesa's presence in sitting midfield neutralized the threat Fabregas provided in midfield but found Willian a force to deal with the entire game.
Tom Carroll - 5.5
Carroll showed little intent to play the Swans out of trouble by going forward with the ball and was always playing second fiddle to Willian as far as defensive matters were concerned.
Ki Sung-Yeung - 6.5
The Korean was amongst the Swans' most impressive players, trying to keep possession for the visitors and even completing a couple of dribble attempts. He would have no support from his teammates as they had their backs against the wall owing to the Blues' exploits in the attack.
Renato Sanches - 5
Sanches is still at an embryonic stage of his Premier League career, which was evident from a struggling performance at a number 10 role. He was mostly resigned to defensive duties and barely displayed any creativity to unlock the Blues' defence. He was taken off at half-time.
Jordan Ayew - 6
Playing off Bony, Ayew sparkled only in patches with his dribbling and was never going to out-think an organized Chelsea defence.
Wilfred Bony - 5
No service and no shots at goal, let alone on target. It was a night to forget for Bony.
Substitutes:
Leroy Fer - 6
The Dutchman was brought on after the interval to instil some confidence and creativity, but he too was forced to mostly contain himself to defend against a wave of Chelsea attacks.
Oliver McBurnie - 5
The attacking midfielder replaced a defensive-minded Roque Mesa to give the Swans a shot at finding an equaliser, but he hardly got a sight of the ball during the 25-odd minutes he was present on the pitch.
Wayne Routledge - N/A
He came on late in the game.
