Chelsea player ratings vs Tottenham as Nicolas Jackson’s persistence pays off
It wasn’t easy and it was certainly eventful but Chelsea came away with a win in Mauricio Pochettino’s return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Nicolas Jackson’s hat-trick secured a 4-1 win but it was far from that easy.
It was a dramatic first half that unfolded where VAR almost felt as impactful as anyone on the pitch. Still, the sides went in at the break with a goal apiece, albeit Spurs a man down following Cristian Romero’s red card.
Destiny Udogie was then given his marching orders in the second half as Chelsea laid siege to their rival’s net and found Guglielmo Vicario standing in their way time and again.
football.london
rates Chelsea’s stars after a dramatic game.
Robert Sanchez –
The Spanish goalkeeper put in a solid performance, though Spurs fans looked to latch onto uncertainty in his distribution. Brilliant save from Son Heung-min in stoppage time
6
.
Reece James –
Didn’t offer too much going forward but generally defended his half of the pitch well in the opening half. Became a regular outlet in the second period.
6
.
Tottenham vs Chelsea highlights as Nicolas Jackson earns Chelsea dramatic win
Gary Neville reacts to Tottenham vs Chelsea VAR madness after Udogie tackle and Romero red card
Axel Disasi –
Showed plenty of calm in one-on-one moments and was a solid presence in Chelsea’s backline in the box.
7
.
Thiago Silva –
After a couple of scares where Son Heung-min’s pace looked like it could be a problem, the veteran came in to the game and made a number of well-timed interceptions.
6
.
Levi Colwill –
Didn’t enjoy the start to the game that he would have liked as Dejan Kulesevski’s strike deflected off him and past Robert Sanchez. Struggled to settle into the game and picked up a yellow card for a clash with Pape Mate Sarr.
5
.
Moises Caicedo –
Cruelly denied a very good goal from distance when Nicolas Jackson was judged to be offside. Played well to disrupt the Lilywhites when few others could.
6
.
Enzo Fernandez –
Had a slow start to the game as Spurs impressed but had more joy as space opened up the pitch following Cristian Romero’s red card. Went off injured early in the second period.
5
.
Conor Gallagher –
Struggled to provide the disruptive presence that is his calling card in the early stages but kept going as Chelsea struggled and was rewarded with a late assist as he kept pushing.
6
.
Cole Palmer –
The 21-year-old once again proved his ability to be the coolest man on the pitch when dispatching his penalty and showed good moments on the ball. Quieter second half but still managed to pull the strings to find Jackson for his final goal.
7
.
Raheem Sterling –
Always looked a threat on the wing against Tottenham’s high line and looked to feed Jackson time and again from wide. Not a perfect performance but the kind of consistent presence Chelsea need.
7
.
Nicolas Jackson –
The Senegal forward’s eyes will have lit up when he wrong-footed two Spurs defenders in the box but Guglielmo Vicario denied him after 12 minutes. Proved to be a regular threat and saw a goal denied for an earlier offside, while he perhaps should have done better in front of goal in the second period. Persistence paid off when he was able to tap in Sterling’s cross, and he added another from Gallagher’s cross in stoppage time to kill the game. Cruelly added a third when he broke clear in the 97th minute.
8
.
Substitutes
Marc Cucurella
– Entered the field for the start of the second half and almost looked like a top striker until he was denied by Vicario. Another solid outing.
6
.
Mykhailo Mudryk
– Wasted little time in showing the quality of his passing but strayed offside too frequently given the pace he possesses.
5
.
Malo Gusto –
Gave away an unnecessary foul in a good position for Spurs when Chelsea needed to settle the game down.
5
.
Lesley Ugochukwu
– Produced some good recovery work in his short time on the pitch.
6
.