Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn Rovers: Player ratings as Blues progress to EFL Cup quarterfinals
A collective team effort led by goals from Benoit Badiashile and Raheem Sterling sealed Chelsea’s place in the EFL Cup quarterfinals.
After a disjointed start, stemming perhaps from the scars of a torrid 2-0 defeat against Brentford over the weekend, the Blues ensured they corrected their errors to be on the right side of the scoreline against Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
Mauricio Pochettino must’ve demanded a stern response, which was encapsulated by Chelsea’s force of dominance in both halves; with over 65% of the ball and 20 efforts on goal.
Although there were plenty of takeaways to script on his notepad, Pochettino and co. will be buoyed by the chance of winning silverware.
Without further ado, let’s break down how the Chelsea players fared in their comfortable 2-0 win over the Blue and Whites.
Robert Sanchez – 7/10
Sanchez could have set up a picnic between the sticks and still not shipped a goal. No shots on target and some neat distribution will do his confidence a world of good ahead of a daunting fixture run featuring Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Manchester United.
Reece James – 7.5/10
The Chelsea skipper makes you wonder if he was ever injured. Such was his decision-making, sharpness, and incisiveness in the opposition third. James bossed the game down the right and received a rapturous standing ovation from the home crowd.
Axel Disasi – 6.5/10
Much like his teammates who had a field day at the back, Disasi recovered from the weekend’s varied criticism with a commanding display up the middle. He was efficient with the ball and quick across the ground to fend off any danger.
Benoit Badiashile – 8/10
Back in the starting lineup and making headlines once more. One of Chelsea’s silver linings from last season, Badiashile rounded off his sensational display at the back, alongside best mate Disasi, with a goal that calmed the nerves amongst a rather quiet, frustrated Stamford Bridge assemblage.
Marc Cucurella – 5/10
Cucurella was kept busy by Blackburn’s Dilan Markanday down the left. The 22-year-old winger didn’t shy away from a battle, while the visitors did well to isolate him with the Chelsea full back. Going forward however, there was a noticeable lack of bite from Cucurella’s decisions and crosses.
Lesley Ugochukwu – 6.5/10
Ugochukwu is a star in the making. Chelsea have a serious midfield destroyer on their hands. Combine him with Moises Caicedo, and it’s almost impossible to slip past that midfield duo. The partnership and understanding with Enzo Fernandez in the middle sparked positivity all game long.
Enzo Fernandez – 8.5/10
Speaking of positivity, that’s all Enzo is about. Forward-thinking, relentless, and accurate, the Argentine pinged some lovely balls over the top and kept Chelsea’s possession-play as rapid as it comes. He also snuffed out Blackburn’s attempts to play out from the back.
Cole Palmer – 7/10
Arguably Chelsea’s best player this season thus far, Cole Palmer was at it again with his trickery, turn of pace plus direction and picture-perfect passing. Shame to not walk away with a goal contribution.
Conor Gallagher – 6/10
Gallagher was doing what Gallagher does, spraying passes all around the pitch and turning defense into attack. The visitors just couldn’t keep up with his work rate. And that’s why he’s emerged as one of Pochettino’s favourites. In games like these, though, you’d expect him to be braver in front of goal and get forward with more purpose – because, simply put, he has it in his arsenal.
Raheem Sterling – 7.5/10
Laborious in the first half, jogging with the ball instead of trying to pierce an exposed defense in the turnover. But a completely different player in the second. Raheem Sterling capped off his 50th appearance in royal blue with a well-taken goal, pouncing on a self-inflicted error by Blackburn trying to tiki-taka their way through the Chelsea high press.
Nicolas Jackson – 5/10
As hard-working as he was, Jackson is still very raw. With a few more drills and over time, he could develop into a monstrous goal-scorer. But today, there was a lot left to be desired.
Substitutes
Malo Gusto – 5/10
Replacing James, Gusto had little to do defensively, but that also meant he could have overloaded the right flank with more authority. A tidy performance, nevertheless.
Levi Colwill – 6/10
Pochettino’s lynchpin was undisturbed as Chelsea continued to defend their lead with the ball. He’ll be raring to face Spurs this weekend.
Moises Caicedo – N/A
Brought on for Jackson to lock Chelsea’s clean sheet with just under 15 minutes left.
Noni Madueke – N/A
Subbed on for the dying embers of the game; saw very little of the ball to make a noteworthy impact.
Alex Matos – N/A
The teenage forward only came on to have a feel of the grass for his second appearance of the season.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ank Kumar. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.