Three points made in Spain: Chelsea player ratings in 4-0 win at Stoke
By George Perry
Chelsea played a clinical, patient game against Stoke, waiting for the hosts to slip up and then punishing them for it. The Blues’ Spanish contingent led the way, with one embarrassing exception.
Chelsea earned their largest Premier League win of the season with a 4-0 victory over Stoke. Alvaro Morata scored his first Chelsea hat-trick, courtesy of two assists from Cesar Azpilicueta.
Stoke made the game exciting without ever really threatening Chelsea’s lead, which began in the second minute. The Blues went home with three points, and the perfect momentum and form for their next two games against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.
Goalkeeper and defence
Courtois had a pretty quiet, routine day. Stoke’s only chances came directly at him from distance. He was a bit casual coming out for a second-half corner and, instead of pulling down the ball, palmed it away, rolled over Gary Cahill and landed on his upper back and neck. The whole sequence spoke to a lack of control – OK against Stoke but will be fatal against Atletico and Manchester City.. 13. Belgium. THIBAUT COURTOIS. 7
9. Azpilicueta had his best game of the season, and the first game so far where he looked like THE Cesar Azpilicueta. He was 100% in control of the ground, the air and the Chelsea defence. He organized his teammates superbly, while allowing Stoke barely an inch of space to maneuver. Without missing a beat or needing a moment to adjust he played the last 30 minutes as left wing-back, looking like a veteran offensive force moving forward. And that does not even speak to his growing tally of assists to Alvaro Morata.. 28. Spain. CESAR AZPILICUETA
Denmark. ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN. 8. Andreas Christensen complicated Antonio Conte’s plans for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. The expectation was that Conte would take the opportunity to play David Luiz and rest Christensen ahead of Manchester City. But after another commanding performance Christensen may be undroppable, at least on the thought of keeping his momentum going.. 27
7. Antonio Rudiger has Azpilicueta’s versatility on both sides of the pitch, with enough speed to cover the entire width in a given sequence of play. Rudiger can add a new layer of mobility and flexibility to Chelsea’s defence, in a way that is more discipline and defensively-oriented than David Luiz’s (ahem) mobility. However, a better team than Stoke can make him pay for that, and he will not want to join Gary Cahill in the fans’ doghouse for being caught out of position.. 2. Germany. ANTONIO RUDIGER