Chelsea player ratings vs. Atletico: Eden Hazard leads as Bakayoko lags
By Nate Hofmann
A frustrating night at Stamford Bridge saw a lively Chelsea side draw 1-1 against Atletico Madrid. The visitors were bailed out by the heroics of Jan Oblak and some poor finishing by the Blues.
Despite the disappointing result Chelsea progress through to the knockout rounds, albeit in second place behind Roma. Meanwhile, Atletico are relegated to the Europa league. On the plus side, a number of Chelsea players had excellent games individually…
Goalkeeper and defence
Belgium. THIBAUT COURTOIS. 6. For most of the match, Chelsea’s defense snuffed out any real attacking opportunities, leaving Courtois with little to do aside from claiming the odd cross. That said, his incredible save of Koke’s diving header after former Blue Filipe Luis hit the post in the first half earns Courtois an above-average match rating. It’s hard to blame him for Atletico’s goal, although he might have had a slight chance of getting a hand to it.. 13
8. Azpilicueta remained fairly anonymous throughout the match, which is not necessarily a bad thing for a center-back. His combination with Victor Moses on the right side has been one of the biggest factors in the success of Chelsea’s 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 over the past 18 months, and their synergy looked as solid as ever. The only mark against him might be that he did not close down Luis on his shot that struck the post, but other than that he was everything we’ve come to expect from Cesar Azpilicueta. Reliable, industrious, and assured.. 28. Spain. CESAR AZPILICUETA
7. The great Dane had a very strong game, as is quickly becoming the norm for him. Unfortunately, he missed what may have been the clearest goal-scoring chance of the match, shanking a header wide with Oblak caught out of position. That was one of two headed efforts by Christensen, the other of which Oblak saved comfortably. It is good to see Christensen popping up in dangerous places in attack, and one would expect that he’ll find the net sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, Christensen was typically resolute in defense, winning a number of headers and negating several attacking moves near the top of the box. As always, the Dane excelled in his role as a ball-carrying center back, and served as the catalyst for several Chelsea attacks.. 27. Denmark. ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN
7. Apart from almost splintering Antoine Griezmann’s tibia in an effort to score from outside the box, the captain hardly put a foot wrong. He very well could have cost Chelsea the win had he mistimed his flying karate tackle on Nico Carrasco, which was one of the most ludicrous challenges from a defender you will ever see. Regardless, Cahill defended crosses and blocked shots, while carrying the ball out of the back comfortably. No complaints here.. 24. England. GARY CAHILL