MOL Vidi 2-2 Chelsea: Chelsea player ratings | UEFA Europa League 2018-19

Chelsea travelled to Hungary to play their final group L match against MOL Vidi on Thursday. Already sitting pretty at the top of their group with a perfect 15 points out of five games, the West Londoners were hoping to make it six wins out of six.

Both sides met last time in October and the visitors won 1-0 courtesy an Alvaro Morata goal. The Hungarian champions were battling it out with fellow group L team BATE Borisov with whom they were level at six points and needed a better result than them against Chelsea in order to qualify for the knockout stage.

Maurizio Sarri was expecting a difficult match given that Vidi had plenty to play for:

‘For us it’s a very difficult match for us to prepare because we don’t have a material target. The last match against Vidi was really very difficult because they defended very well, with low density. It was difficult for us to score. Maybe it will be a different match because they are fighting for qualification and I think they need to win.’

As for squad news, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Eden Hazard, Cesar Azplicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Ngolo Kante were rested. Mateo Kovacic, Victor Moses, and Gary Cahill were missing due to injuries. A fresh face, academy player George McEachran was also with the travelling squad.

Sarri also talked about the two youngsters Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi given that they were expected to feature in the heavily rotated lineup since the last game against Manchester City:

‘It’s up to them. Hudson-Odoi played in the Community Shield in August, he has played two matches in the Europa League. Tomorrow maybe he will be on the pitch. That is four opportunities. They only have to play very well in these opportunities, and for the moment Hudson-Odoi did it, and now I am looking forward to Ampadu doing it. He is a very good player.'

It was seen as a rare opportunity for the Chelsea thinktank to try out the fringe players ahead of the busy Christmas period. At the same time, the hosts were hoping for a historic result in Budapest to have a chance to qualify for the next stage.

Starting Lineups

Chelsea:

Caballero; Zappacosta, Ampadu, Christensen, Emerson; Fabregas (c), Barkley, Loftus-Cheek; Willian, Morata, Hudson-Odoi.

Subs: Cumming, David Luiz, Alonso, Jorginho, McEachran, Pedro, Giroud

MOL Vidi:

Kovacsik, Fiola, Juhasz (c), Vinicius, Stopira, Hadzic, Nego, Nikolov, Huszti, Milanov Scepovic.

Subs: Tujvel, Kovacs, Berecz, Hodzic, Patkai, Tamas, Hangya

As it happened

Willian was the spark to overcome Chelsea's inertia in the early stages

Chelsea kicked off the first half, dominating proceedings as expected. The visitors were finding it difficult to play through Vidi's lines and were forced out wide. It was finally near the half an hour mark when Willian waltzed through Vidi's defence and won a free-kick right in front of the box. The Brazilian then produced a sumptuous free-kick to give Chelsea the lead.

The lead was shortlived as within a couple of minutes Ethan Ampadu turned in a dangerous corner from Juhasz into his own net to make the score 1-1. The game opened up soon after with both the teams producing decent chances at both ends.

10 minutes into the second half, Pedro replaced Willian. Soon after the substitution, MOL Vidi took the lead through Nego as he blasted in an unstoppable volley into Caballero's near post. This event breathed a life into the match as the crowd erupted in celebration.

Chelsea now looked to respond and overturn the deficit. The visitors came close when Fabregas sent Emerson through and Giroud failed to turn in the Brazilian's cross at the 67th minute.

The Frenchman got close again after blasting a volley over the crossbar after getting on the end of a Fabregas free-kick. Chelsea continued to pile on the pressure and got the reward from a brilliant free-kick at 75th-minute mark. The Frenchman once again was in the centre of proceedings throughout the second half and he scored his fourth goal in the group stages.

The final stages of the game were an intense affair as both sides looked to clinch a late winner but failed in their quest and the score was tied 2-2. Unfortunately for the hosts, Chelsea were joined by BATE Borisov in the knockout stages from Group L.

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Player ratings

Goalkeeper: Willy Caballero

Rating: 5/10

The Argentine produced a couple of good saves in the first half, one particularly at 40th minute to keep his team level.

Even though the first goal was not his fault but in the second half he was unable to keep Nego's thunderous volley out and was beaten at his near post.

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Defence

Right back: Davide Zappacosta

Rating: 6/10

The Italian right back was tenacious, often combining well with Hudson-Odoi down the right-hand side in the first half. His defensive performance slightly dipped as the match progressed and Vidi grew into the game.

Centre back: Ethan Ampadu

Rating: 6/10

The teenager suffered a bit of misfortune in the first half but otherwise, his performance was decent. The Welshman was assured in possession but was tested a few times defensively.

Centre back: Andreas Christensen

The Dane dealt with the opposition threat very well

Rating: 7/10

Ampadu's partner, Andreas Christensen fared well defensively and was largely solid for most of the game. The Dane was also good with his feet as he kept the play ticking along smoothly.

He was the more assured of the two centre-halves and was a calming presence in the defence.

Another top-drawer performance from the Brazilian left-back

Left back: Emerson

Rating: 7.5/10

The Brazilian has been turning in good performances consistently whenever he has got the chance. He was a constant nuisance offensively and continued to bomb down the left flank.

Defensively also he was equally adept but in the second goal, his positioning could have been better. Overall, he was a joy to watch and the chants are getting louder by Chelsea fans for him to get regular game time.

Midfield

Loftus-Cheek constantly attacked Vidi's defence

Central midfielder (RCM): Ross Barkley

Rating: 6.5/10

The 25-year-old was solid in his outing, but his offensive contribution was still less than his standards. He was largely conservative with his passing and lacked the end product. He was also excellent defensively.

Being capable of so much more, he has been playing within himself for far too long. The ex-Evertonian should start asserting himself more in games.

Central midfielder (CM): Cesc Fabregas

Rating: 7/10

The veteran Spaniard dictated the proceedings at the heart of the midfield, though not as effectively as Jorginho. He confidently sprayed his expansive passes around and was at the centre of things constantly.

The Spaniard also won the freekick for Giroud's equaliser.

Central midfielder (LCM): Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Rating: 7/10

The academy product again turned in a good performance. The 22-year-old's link-up play and dribbling were an asset to the team as he looked menacing everytime he drove the ball towards defenders.

Down the left-hand side, his combination with Callum Hudson-Odoi was fun to watch and he was a headache for the opposition players to get the ball off him.

But, his defensive discipline was not there today as he conceded fouls multiple times in the first half.

Attack

Callum Hudson-Odoi was impressive in his outing

Right Wing: Callum Hudson-Odoi

Rating: 7.5/10

Academy youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi had an impressive outing. The youngster repeatedly ran at the Vidi defence and was unlucky not to get a goal.

Five dribbles and four key passes just give a glimpse of his performance in a match where his team were not at their best offensively. Moreover, his defensive work rate was also impressive during the game.

Left Wing: Willian

Rating: 7.5/10

The Brazilian started the game slowly but grew as the game progressed. He opened his side's scoring in the first half with a well-taken free-kick. The 30-year-old ran the show and was the difference maker for his side until his 55th-minute substitution.

Centre forward: Alvaro Morata

Rating: 4/10

Another difficult outing for the Spanish marksman. He was largely subdued in the first half and failed to link up with his teammates.

Unfortunately, his stint was cut short due to an injury which forced him off near the halftime mark.

Substitutes

Giroud celebrates his equaliser

Olivier Giroud

Rating: 7.5/10

The Frenchman had an impressive outing. He scored his fourth goal in the group stages with a top-class free-kick. The striker also linked up well and held his own against the opposition defender's onslaughts. He was constantly in the thick of things.

Pedro

Rating: 6.5/10

The diminutive Spaniard was his usual lively self. Replacing Willian at the 55th minute, he posed a constant threat with his direct running and dribbling.

The former Barcelona winger showed a lot of tenacity and also helped out his right back Zappacosta.