Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois – 7.5/10
The Belgian shot-stopper made a number of decent saves to deny City from getting the second goal. His save from de Bruyne using his legs after City had counter-attacked was the best of the lot.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6/10
It was a poor first-half for the Spanish defender, giving away possession on two occasions in dangerous areas thanks to dodgy back-passes. He was not very convincing with his clearances in the second half either but was helped out by an authoritative David Luiz at the back.
David Luiz – 7/10
Luiz was extremely lucky not to be punished for blocking Sergio Aguero’s path after the City striker pounced on a poor backpass by Azpilicueta and was through on goal. His performance otherwise was top-notch, confidently dealing with crosses coming in from either side.
Gary Cahill – 7/10
Cahill made an important tackle to stop the pacey Leroy Sane in his tracks late in the first half. Moments later, he was guilty of slicing a Jesus Navas cross into his own net to break the deadlock. His immense defensive display in the second half deserves a lot of praise, committing himself to get his body in the way of shots at a time when City were throwing absolutely everything at the Blues.
Victor Moses – 6.5/10
Moses didn’t play with the same intensity that helped him become an integral member of Antonio Conte’s set-up. He was often caught ball watching while having to defend, allowing Leroy Sane to sail past him and receive lofted balls from City’s crafty duo of de Bruyne and Silva. However, he must be credited for a last-ditch clearance to prevent a low cross from finding Aguero – who would have had a tap-in. His willingness to help his defenders protect their lead in the dying moments gives him extra ratings.
N’Golo Kante – 7/10
The Frenchman had a relatively quiet opening period, but broke up many City attacks late in the game as the hosts kept pushing for an equaliser.
Cesc Fabregas – 8/10
A phenomenal 60-yard pass to locate Diego Costa for Chelsea’s equaliser justified Fabregas’ inclusion into the starting line-up. The Spaniard had a number of good touches and passes throughout the game and his role as a box-to-box midfielder is vital for Chelsea’s immediate future.
Marcos Alonso – 5/10
The young wing-back had a below-par game, providing too much room for Jesus Navas to break forward. His ill-timed back-pass in the early stages of the second half nearly cost them a second goal. Luckily for him, City were unable to capitalise on their dominance on that side of the pitch – nearly all balls coming in were handled pretty well by David Luiz and Cahill.
Pedro – 5/10
He did well to match Aguero for pace early in the game when City threatened to break. However, he was quite anonymous upfront after he became a victim of a nasty challenge in the first half. He was substituted early in the second half for Willian.
Diego Costa – 8/10
After a frustrating first half, Costa finally took his chance from a brilliant Cesc Fabregas pass – dominating Otamendi with his strength and smashing the ball to cancel out Cahill’s own-goal. He rounded Otamendi in the build-up to the second goal as well, providing the assist for Willian to complete the Chelsea comeback.
Eden Hazard – 7/10
After an early injury scare, Hazard looked bright on the left wing, linking up with Costa on numerous occasions in an attempt to carve open the City defence. His goal in the 90th minute following a devastating Chelsea break summed up an amazing second half for Antonio Conte’s side.
Substitutes
Willian – 7/10
The Brazilian midfielder looked lively after coming on, and capped a great performance with a smart finish across Claudio Bravo to finish off a swift counter-attack to give the Blues the lead.
Nathaniel Chalobah – N/A
He didn’t have the minutes to make a meaningful impact.
Michy Batshuayi – N/A
He came on in injury time.
