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Chelsea beat Unai Emery's Villarreal 6-5 on penalties to lift the UEFA Super Cup for the first time since 1998.
Hakim Ziyech's first-half opener was canceled out by a 73rd-minute strike from Gerard Moreno.
Chelsea started the game in dominant fashion, keeping most of the possession in the first quarter of the game to themselves. The early dominance soon paid off as the Blues took the lead as Ziyech converted a low cross into the six yard box from Kai Havertz in the 27th minute.
However, Villarreal started to push after the early setback, coming close via Alberto Moreno who rattled the post with a fine volley in the first half. Unai Emery's side kept on pushing for an equalizer, and finally got their reward in the 73rd minute after some lovely linkup play between Boulaye Dia and Gerard Moreno inside the Chelsea box.
Both sides kept searching for an equalizer before the full-time whistle, but some astute and splendid defending from both ends left the contest finely poised, with nothing separating them in the additional 30 minutes either.
A penalty shootout beckoned, and Thomas Tuchel, to everyone's surprise, changed goalies and subbed in Kepa Arrizabalaga. The move paid off as Chelsea came out on top after some brilliant shot-stopping from the Spaniard.
On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings from the game.
Chelsea Player Ratings:
Edouard Mendy - 7/10
Wasn't called upon often but made some great saves during his time on the pitch. Gave the ball straight away to Gerrard Moreno but did well to get his fingertips on the resulting strike.
Trevoh Chalobah - 9/10
Rewarded for his astute pre-season performances, the 22-year-old didn't look out of place. He was arguably Chelsea's best player on the night.
Kurt Zouma - 7/10
Guilty of missing a sublime chance to make it 2-0 in the first half, the defender didn't do much wrong defensively and stood firm against constant Villareal pressure.
Antonio Rudiger - 6/10
Much like his partner in defense, Rudiger didn't put a foot wrong and dealt with everything that came his way. However, the centre-half was reckless at times and eventually got into the referee's book for a full-blooded tackle on Yeremi Pino.
Marcos Alonso - 6/10
A menace down in attack, Alonso made some brilliant runs and even launched a few shots at the Villareal goal. But for all of his offensive brilliance, he was visibly shaky in the defensive phase of the game.
Callum Hudson-Odoi - 5/10
Playing as a right wingback once again, the Chelsea youngster failed to impress and offered nothing for much of the game, neither in attack nor in defense.
N'Golo Kante - 8/10
Given the skipper's armband for the night, Kante was at it from the start, breaking up plays, shrugging players off the ball and intercepting almost everything that was thrown at the Chelsea backline.
Mateo Kovacic - 5.5/10
Started the game slowly and failed to make an impact for much of it in fairness. He was sloppy with his passing at times and struggled to keep up with the pace of the game in general.
Hakim Ziyech - 8/10
Carried his pre-season form into the game with a well-taken goal from a Havertz cross. Made a few good chances too but his night ended cruelly with what looked like a shoulder injury.
Timo Werner - 5.5/10
Made some brilliant incisive runs between the lines but was often let down by his poor decision-making in the final third.
Kai Havertz - 6.5/10
Although guilty of missing the opening penalty, the German assisted Chelsea's only goal of the game and looked a potent threat throughout the match.
Substitutes:
Christian Pulisic - 5/10
Almost anonymous in buildup play. Didn't offer much in attack either. Guilty of missing a glit-edged chance in the 99th minute.
Andreas Christensen - 6/10
Playing his first match since the Euros, the Dane didn't look out of place and slotted in seamlessly in defense.
Jorginho - 8/10
Dictated the pace of the game effortlessly with his astute passing and positioning. Kept his nerves to score a typical Jorginho penalty in the shootout.
Mason Mount - 7/10
Almost scored a winner in extra time but his effort was parried away by Asenjo's fingertips.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 6/10
Did his job well after coming on for Hudson-Odoi in the 82nd minute.
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 9/10
Brought on for the shootout, Kepa saved two penalties to win the game for Chelsea.
Villarreal Player Ratings:
Sergio Asenjo - 7/10
Had little to no chance with Ziyech's strike which gave Chelsea the lead. Did well to make some decent stops, especially from a Mason Mount effort in extra time.
Juan Foyth - 8/10
He was Villarreal's best defender on the night. Foyth made some brilliant tackles and interceptions to keep his side in the game.
Raul Albiol - 7/10
Although unlucky to miss the decisive penalty, the skipper showcased his importance to this Villarreal side once again with some intelligent and assured bits of defending throughout the 120 minutes.
Pau Torres - 6.5/10
Calm and alert for much of the game, the centre-back did have his moment of despair as he let the ball roll through his legs for a Mason Mount chance which was dealt well by his goalkeeper.
Alfonso Pedraza - 5.5/10
Part culprit for Chelsea's opener as he lost track of Ziyech in the build-up to the goal. Did well to provide an extra option in attack down the left wing.
Yeremy Pino - 6/10
Tenacious in both defense and attack, Pino ran rings around Alonso but failed to make it count as he was wasteful with the ball in the final third for much of the game.
Manu Trigueros - 5/10
Never got up to the pace of the game. Rarely supplied a few good through balls for his forwards but failed to make much of an impact in the Villarreal attack.
Etienne Capoue - 7/10
Positioned himself well, won possession a number of times and generally worked up and down the pitch throughout his time on the pitch to keep Chelsea at bay.
Alberto Moreno - 6/10
Looked a little out of place on the defensive side of things. Also guilty of missing a glorious first-half chance as his shot bounced off the crossbar.
Boulaye Dia - 7/10
Lively throughout and made some excellent incisive runs in-behind. Linked up well with his strike partner to provide the assist to Villarreal's equalizer.
Gerard Moreno - 8/10
One of Villarreal's best players, if not the best. Dropped in between the lines to help with the build up at times. Scored his side's only goal of the match with a sublime finish in the 73rd minute.
Substitutes:
Pervis Estupinan - 7/10
Injected much-needed dynamism and pace into the game.
Mario Gasper - 5/10
Almost anonymous and offered nothing of significance after coming on in the 70th minute.
Moi Gomez - 6/10
Played some good passes to his attackers and dispatched a cool penalty in the shootout.
Daniel Raba - 6/10
Slotted a good penalty in the shootout.
Manu Morlanes - 6/10
Provided much-needed fresh legs in extra time and controlled the game well in possession.
Aisa Mandi - 4/10
Easily the worst player on the pitch. Misplaced a flurry of passes immediately after coming on. Also guilty of missing a crucial penalty in the shootout.
Also read: Paul Merson's column - Ranking the 5 favorites for the UEFA Champions League this season (2021-22)
