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Chelsea were made to fight hard away from home at the Molineux to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in their FA Cup 5th round tie. Two goals in the second half from Pedro and Diego Costa sealed the win for Antonio Conte’s men after Wolves made the Premier League leaders battle for the win.
Also Read: FA Cup 2016/17: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Chelsea, 5 talking points
Chelsea’s Italian boss played a mixed lineup of fringe players and regular starters, who in the end came out on top in the second half after an average performance and a slight scare early on.
Here are the player ratings:
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Carl Ikeme: 6/10
The Wolves goalkeeper had a respectable game in goal with a number of saves. He came off his line to clear the danger on a number of occasions when Willian was through in the 12th minute, Hazard in the 20th minute, denied Diego Costa in the 30th minute and Fabregas late on in the 80th minute.
However, he was rooted in the same spot for both Chelsea’s goals.
Danny Batth: 5.5 /10
The Wolves captain was engaged in a constant battle with Diego Costa the whole game and denied the striker in the 23rd minute with a block while making important clearances in the 46th and 53rd minute. He finally went into the book for a foul on Costa in the 68th minute shortly after Wolves conceded the first and could not clear for the 2nd goal as well.
Kortney Hause: 6/10
Hause lost his man Willian when the Brazilian went through in the 12th minute but kept Moses in check to clear in the 60th minute. Apart from that. he made critical interceptions and clearances for his side in the game. Unlike his captain and centre-back partner, he didn’t get booked and played with minimal fuss.
Matt Doherty: 6/10
The left back had a solid game for Wolves and minimised the danger of Victor Moses. The block he made on Moses’ cross in the 26th minute was the highlight for the left back. However, he was extremely unlucky for the ricochet that went off his leg into the path of Diego Costa for Chelsea’s second goal.
Conor Coady: 7/10
Coady kept Eden Hazard quiet all night with his positioning and tenacity. The Wolves right back should be given credit for keeping the deadly Hazard in check for the majority of the game. He made a crucial block to deny Fabregas in the 85th minute. Going forward he offered an option to his team-mates, but his crossing wasn’t the best.
David Edwards: 6/10
David Edwards was full of physicality and energy in midfield and helped make things difficult for Chelsea and he even had a chance but headed wide in the 19th minute. However, he made the crucial mistake of losing Pedro and allowing the Spaniard to run in behind him for Chelsea’s first goal.
Jack Price: 6.5/10
Price combined well with Edwards and was the primary ball-winner for Wolves in the centre of the park. He won the ball back on numerous occasions but was let down by his team-mates after he passed it to them.
George Saville: 7/10
The former Chelsea player had Wolves’ best chance of the game early on in the 5th minute after a mistake by Kurt Zouma, but his left-foot shot hit the post. He should have scored that chance because there were barely any later on for his team.
He then went into the book in the 21st minute for a clear foul on Willian after the Brazilian dribbled 40 yards with the ball. He was substituted in the 83rd minute.
Helder Costa: 6/10
Costa had a few spells where he looked dangerous, but then faded as the game wore on. He had shot on goal in the 22nd minute which was easily saved by Begovic. He put in a good cross in the 32nd minute, but in general, his crossing wasn’t of the highest quality and Chelsea dealt with his threat well.
Andreas Weimann: 6/10
Weimann played well defensively in handling Chelsea’s threat down the right by falling back to deny Moses, and even got booked for bringing down Willian in the 33rd minute. But he should have finished off the rebound after Saville’s shot fell to him off the post. That could have been 1-0 to Wolves in the 5th minute.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson: 5/10
The striker lead the Wolves front line but was completely nullified by the Chelsea defence. However, he did play to the best of his capabilities but lacked a finishing touch.
Substitutes
Donavan Wilson: 4/10
Wilson made his debut for Wolves after he came on for Saville in the 76th minute but couldn’t create any chances for Wolves.
Romain Saiss: NA
Saiss came on for Bodvarsson in the 84th minute but could do nothing in the 6 minutes plus added time.
Conor Ronan: NA
Ronan came on for Saville in the 84th minute as well but had very little time to make an impact.
Chelsea
Asmir Begovic: 6.5/10
Begovic was called into action early in the 2nd minute when an over-hit cross almost crept in, but he tipped the ball over the bar. He made himself big to put off Wiemann’s follow up after Saville’s shot hit the post and then made a number of routine saves in the game to deny Wolves. He even juggled the ball to clear after a back pass and some miscommunication with Nathan Ake.
Kurt Zouma: 6/10
Zouma didn’t have the best of games in the first half, especially after his poor clearance fell to Saville and then Wiemann. He was lucky that Saville only hit the post and the ball didn’t hit the back of the net. He played better in the second half, making a crucial clearance in the 47th minute and even came forward to take a shot that went into the stands in the 58th minute.
John Terry: 6/10
It was an average return for the long serving Chelsea captain in the heart of the Blues defence. However, his back line handled the pressure in the first half well enough to not concede. He made a good headed clearance in the 18th minute and necessary interceptions.
Nathan Ake: 7/10
The youngster justified his manager’s faith in him in this game with an assured performance. He was the stand-out Chelsea defender in the three-man back line and made a number of good headers and clearances particularly in the 50th minute from Helder Costa.
He provided a glimpse of how important he can be for the club in the future after Conte called him back from his successful loan spell at Bournemouth.
Victor Moses: 6/10
It was a familiar game for Moses – solid at the back but lacking a quality final ball while attacking. The right back found himself in space on numerous occasions, including in the 26th minute when Fabregas found him in acres of space but his cross was blocked. He similarly found space in the 46th, 53rd and 60th minute but his delivery wasn’t the best. He must work on his crossing.
Nathaniel Chalobah: 6/10
The young Chelsea player did very little in the game other than maintain solid positioning and support Fabregas in midfield defensively. However, it was necessary for his team. He had a shot in the 53rd minute but apart from that was only playing his role.
Cesc Fabregas: 7/10
Fabregas ran the show in midfield and bossed the game from the middle of the park. He put Willian through in the 12th minute with a delightful lofted ball, released Hazard in the 16th minute, and played another crossfield pass to release Moses in the 26th minute. Later in the 80th minute, he even found himself 1 v 1 against Ikeme but the Spaniard could not finish.
He also had one last chance to score in the 85th minute but his shot was deflected away by Coady.
Pedro: 7/10
Pedro is primarily a winger but was asked to play left-wing back by Antonio Conte for this game. Despite not being the best defensively he let very few crosses find their way in from his flank.
He was a bit wasteful going forward but made a superb run for his headed goal in the 65th minute. The Spaniard ghosted in at the back post and finished superbly. It was the vital goal to break the deadlock and was important for Chelsea. Pedro has now scored in every round of the FA Cup.
Willian: 7/10
Willian was a constant menace for Wolves and a threat down Chelsea’s right flank. He made a number of runs that drew fouls and cards. He probably should’ve scored after Fabregas’ ball found him through on goal, but Ikeme came out and thwarted his attempted lob.
His most telling contribution was the inch-perfect assist for Pedro’s goal in the 65th minute. He found the Spaniard with a great cross that put Chelsea 1-0 up.
Eden Hazard: 4/10
This was Eden Hazard’s worst game in a Chelsea shirt in recent memory. The Belgian was missing for large spells of the game and was kept quiet by Coady. He was involved in the build-up to Pedro’s goal and a chance for Fabregas in the 80th minute but it was a poor showing from the winger. He needs to perform at a better level in the next game.
Diego Costa: 7/10
Diego Costa battled the whole game up-front against the Wolves defence. He got into a number of tussles with Danny Bath but he could not score. However, in the end, the Spaniard persevered and scored a well-taken goal when the ball fell to him after a ricochet off Doherty in the 89th minute. It was an instinctive finish after he reacted first and it left Ikeme stranded in goal.
Substitutes
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6/10
Azpilicueta came on in the 73rd minute for Pedro and Chelsea looked much more solid from then on.
N’Golo Kante: 6/10
Kante came on for Willian in the 80th minute and was involved in the build-up to Diego Costa’s goal.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: N/A
Loftus-Cheek was brought on in the 86th for Eden Hazard but there was too little time for him to make a telling difference.
