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#3 - Mateo Kovacic
Chelsea's Croatian midfielder came into the game with a goal and an assist in the win over Aston Villa over the weekend. Mateo Kovacic did not disappoint against Zenit either and covered most of the ground for the whole game.
Kovacic is fighting for a place in the starting 11 with N'Golo Kante and Jorginho this season. Going by his recent performances, there is no way the manager can drop him any time soon. The Croatian kept the game ticking and constantly pushed Zenit's defense back into their box.
He finished the game with 101 passes and a pass success of 97.8%. The game was not at high intensity, but without Kovacic, Chelsea would have struggled to create chances against Zenit.
#2 - Cesar Azpilicueta
The Chelsea captain once again delivered tonight with a solid display in defense. Apart from that one chance where Sardar Azmoun managed to get past the back-line, Cesar Azpilicueta was on top with this game from the first whistle.
The right center back did pick up a booking for elbowing Sardar Azmoun during the game but kept his composure and did not lunge into any tackles. Azpilicueta tried to get the ball past the Zenit defense multiple times, and he succeeded in the second half.
The Spaniard got the assist for the game's lone goal as he crossed the ball to Romelu Lukaku in the box for the striker to convert. Azpilicueta also ended the game with over a hundred passes attempted, and had a success rate of 90%.
#1 - Romelu Lukaku
Once again, Romelu Lukaku has shown why Chelsea spent a club-record £97.5 million to get him back to Stamford Bridge. The Belgian striker scored from the half-chance he got in the 69th minute, and that was enough for the reigning Champions of Europe to pick up all three points.
Lukaku was isolated throughout the game by the Zenit defense as they marked him tightly. However, one lofted ball in by Azpilicueta was enough for the Chelsea forward to create some space for himself and head the ball into the back of the net.
Thomas Tuchel will be very happy with the Belgian's performance tonight. Lukaku made some excellent runs and constantly asked for the ball to be played to him. However, he did not receive sufficient service from Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech in the first half. The forward had to wait for Kai Havertz to come on from the bench and help him out in the second period.
