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Chelsea cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion in their Boxing Day clash at Stamford Bridge. Despite dominating the game for the start, Chelsea failed to take the lead in the first half due to some excellent goal-keeping from Mathew Ryan and good performances from the Brighton defenders.
However, Chelsea came out in the second half all guns blazing and it took them only 56 seconds after the restart to take the lead through Alvaro Morata. Antonio Conte's men extended their lead right at the hour mark through Marcos Alonso to snatch all three points on the night.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at how the players from both sides fared during the game:
Chelsea FC
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
The Belgian did not have a lot to do on the night and cruised to yet another clean-sheet for the season. Courtois did well to deny Glenn Murray from close range without knowing that the striker was in an offside position, as confirmed by the referee later.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 8/10
The Spaniard has been one of Chelsea's best performers so far and continued his fairy tale partnership with Morata, who scored from his cross for the sixth time this season. Azpilicueta showed no lapses in concentration and impressed with his ball-playing abilities.
Gary Cahill - 7/10
Cahill was hardly troubled by Brighton on the night and he emerged on top whenever he was called into action. The Chelsea skipper showed composure on the ball and complemented his teammates well on the night.
Antonio Rudiger - 7/10
The German was solid at the back for Chelsea yet again and hardly put a foot wrong while defending. Rudiger also posed a threat from set-pieces and did well to find himself in good areas of the pitch.
Victor Moses - 6/10
Moses lacked motivation in the first half and was let down by his decision making inside the opposition's half. However, the Nigerian came back strongly in the second half and did well to force Izquierdo into his own half for the majority of the game.
N'Golo Kante - 7/10
The Frenchman was his usual self of command and tireless working in the middle of the park for the hosts. Kante did well to nick the ball from the opposition on numerous occasions and contributed as another source of pressure every time Chelsea moved forward with the ball.
Tiemoue Bakayoko - 6/10
Bakayoko did well to find space inside Brighton's half on quite a few instances but the midfielder was let down by his ability to find the back of the net. The Frenchman failed to extend Chelsea's lead when the ball was put on a plate for him by Hazard following a brilliant Chelsea counter-attack in the second half.
Marcos Alonso - 7/10
The goal took Alonso's tally for the calendar year to 10 goals, the highest by any defender in the league. Despite finding it hard to create an opening in the first half, Alonso continued his good work in the second half and forced Mathew Ryan to a couple of good saves before finally beating the Australian in the 60th minute.
Cesc Fabregas - 7/10
Fabregas underlined his status as one of Chelsea's most creative players on the night and displayed his impressive ability to find a teammate anywhere on the pitch with some accurate passing. The Spaniard also provided the assist for Chelsea's second goal on the night.
Eden Hazard - 8/10
Yet another impressive performance from the Belgian tonight. Hazard was a vital cog in Chelsea's ambitions while going forward and he created a few good chances for his teammates on the night. During Chelsea's best spell in the game, Hazard was unstoppable.
Alvaro Morata - 7/10
The Spaniard opened the scoring for Chelsea with a delightful header just minutes after the half-time break. Morata did well to hold the ball up and was not shy of standing up to the Brighton defenders.
Substitutes
Willian - 4/10
The Brazilian replaced Eden Hazard in the 73rd minute and never got into his stride. Willian should have done better considering the fact that he went up against the tiring legs of the Brighton back line.
Michy Batshuayi - N/A
Came on in the 82nd minute to replace Alvaro Morata.
Danny Drinkwater - N/A
Came on in the 84th minute for N'Golo Kante.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Mathew Ryan - 7/10
The Australian shot-stopper made a few good saves to prevent Chelsea from adding a few more goals on the night. Ryan's performance was one of the very few positives to take away from the game for the visitors.
Ezequiel Schelotto - 6/10
The Italian fared much better than what was expected of him and found himself deep inside Chelsea's half on a few occasions. However, he could not muster any end product as the hosts started taking control in the second half.
Lewis Dunk - 6/10
The Brighton skipper did well to keep Chelsea at bay in the first half and did not allow any room whatsoever for Morata to feed off his teammates. Dunk made a crucial goal-line clearance in the second half and he can take heart from their first-half performance.
Shane Duffy - 6/10
Duffy was equally good at the back for the visitors when he was called into action in the first half. Despite conceding the goal early on in the second half, the defender was good in the air and was not shy about putting his body on the line.
Markus Suttner - 5/10
The Austrian did well in the first half but eventually struggled when he came up against a rejuvenated Victor Moses in the second half. Suttner had to be helped out on a few occasions by Izquierdo, forcing the winger to restrict himself to his own half.
Solly March - 6/10
March started the game brightly for the visitors and showed no nerves whenever he was on the ball. It is quite understandable that he would have enjoyed more involvement on the ball but the way Brighton were set up for the game didn't help him much.
Dale Stephens - 5/10
The midfielder was forced to cover a lot of ground while trying to track the Chelsea players who pushed forward on every single opportunity. Stephens could not operate effectively without the ball and was caught napping on a few instances.
Jose Izquierdo - 6/10
Izquierdo did a lot of the dirty work for Brighton as he was forced into his own half by Chelsea for the majority of the game. The winger could not break the shackles and get forward but he tried his best to carry out his defensive duties with responsibility.
Beram Kayal - 5/10
The midfielder could not impose himself on the game and lacked quality on the ball. Kayal faded off as the game progressed and was taken off in the second half to cap off a disappointing night.
Davy Propper - 5/10
The Dutchman also could not get into good positions deep inside Chelsea's half and struggled with the ball at his feet. Propper lacked the cutting edge and hardly posed a threat to the hosts.
Tomer Hemed - 4/10
Hemed was left out on his own for the majority of the night and did not enjoy a lot of involvement on the ball. The forward failed to get into the right areas and did not do well enough to stretch the Chelsea defenders.
Substitutes
Pascal Gross - 4/10
Brighton's best player so far this season started the game on the bench and was introduced only in the 73rd minute. Gross was provided with too little time to make an impact for his side.
Glenn Murray - N/A
Came on in the 80th minute to replace Tomer Hemed.
Anthony Knockaert - N/A
Came on in the 82nd minute to replace Solly March.
