Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois: 6/10
Faced 5 shots on target and conceded from 3 of them, although he could do precious little about any of the 3 finishes. He kept a cool demeanour and was the lone bright light in Chelsea’s otherwise ragged defence.
Branislav Ivanovic: 4/10
Was completely put off by Arsenal’s intricate play around the box, no longer having the pace and reflexes to deal with attackers like he did at his prime. Found out big-time against Arsenal, this game might be the one that forces Conte to drop him from his playing XI schemes. putation any favours today, failing to track Sanchez’s run that led to Arsenal’s third. Was taken to his wit’s end by Sanchez. Score – 5.5/10
David Luiz: 5.5/10
While he was personally not culpable for goals as he has notoriously been for a long time, Luiz did not do his reputation any favours today, failing to track Sanchez’s run that led to Arsenal’s third. Was taken to his wit’s end by Sanchez.
Gary Cahill: 3/10
Committed a howler that led to Sanchez being played through one-on-one with Courtois for the first goal, failed to pick up Walcott’s run for the second goal and failed to track Ozil in the third goal. Quite the collection of serious errors in a single game for the England centreback.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 5/10
Even the uber-consistent Spaniard, who has rarely ever had a bad game in his Chelsea career, had nothing of note to show for in 90 minutes against Arsenal. Was beaten comprehensively by Bellerin on a number of occasions, allowed a number of crosses from the left side of goal.
N’Golo Kante: 5/10
Was utterly outplayed by Arsenal’s midfielders. Put in a lot of ground and recovered possession on a number of occasions, giving his attackers a chance, but found wanting with his skill on the ball. Totally bowled over by Ozil in the sequence leading up to the third goal.
Nemanja Matic: 6/10
Perhaps the most consistent Chelsea player of the game. Threw his weight around, but ended up running around mostly chasing shadows in the first half as Arsenal set up base camp in the Chelsea half.
Cesc Fabregas: 6.5/10
Earned a return to the playing XI for this game but failed to create any significant chances as the attacking playmaker in the neo-No.10 role he plays in the new Chelsea setup. Substituted in the second half despite being the only Chelsea player consistently able to manipulate the ball in central areas.
Willian: 5/10
Was wasteful on a clear chance in the first half, and otherwise was plagued by a spate of bad decisions in the final third. Failed to create anything meaningful in attack and was duly substituted for Pedro in the 70th minute.
Eden Hazard: 6/10
Showed his usual composure, touch and close control, but Hazard was not allowed to run freely at the Arsenal defence, who were always well-set. Tidily defended by Hector Bellerin, and he failed to make any impact despite switching wings on occasion. Bellerin ran past him to square the ball for the second goal.
Diego Costa: 5/10
Was not provided enough service by Fabregas and co who were busy defending Arsenal from deep for most parts of the game. Made a few opportunities of his own by working hard on the defensive end of the game, but his impact in the game overall was very much defined by his anonymity up front.
Substitutes
Marcos Alonso: 6/10
Showed a cool and composed head in the second half to rejuvenate Chelsea and bring a semblance of competitiveness to their midfield after Fabregas’ departure, but does not seem to have the top-level quality required to create chances routinely against elite defences. Score – 6/10
Pedro – N/A
Michy Batshuayi – N/A
