Chelsea player ratings vs. Atletico: Eden Hazard leads as Bakayoko lags

8. This was an exceptional display from the Nigerian. His ability to get around Felipe Luis to the byline resulted in a number of good chances for Chelsea, and he should feel aggrieved that none of his efforts resulted in goals. Moses’ athleticism preoccupied the left side of Atletico’s 4-4-2 for most the match. His moments of quality on the ball – especially in controlling long balls from Kante and Fabregas – added an extra element to Chelsea’s attack down the right flank, which has suffered slightly since the switch to a 3-5-2. The danger posed by Moses dragged the Atletico back four wide, allowing Fabregas, Morata, and Hazard to find more joy down the middle and left. Overall, he was crucial to almost everything good that Chelsea did on the offensive end, and was perfectly sufficient in defense.. 15. Italy. VICTOR MOSES

N'GOLO KANTE. 8. What’s left to say about the diminutive Frenchman? He was as good as ever winning the ball off of Atletico players, and he sparked a number of counterattacks. Koke and Saul are good players, yet Kante shut them down almost immediately whenever they received the ball. His speed in closing down forced players to make errant passes, often times leading to Fabregas having the ball to initiate a counterattack. There are not any statistics that adequately portray just how incredible N’golo Kante is, but the noticeable lack of dangerous attacks from Atletico today stems from his perpetual running and tenacity.. 7. France

Spain. CESC FABREGAS. 8. Raking long balls forward have lately become a staple of Fabregas’ newfound role as a deep-lying playmaker in Chelsea’s 3-5-2, but today he seemed to periodically appear as an ersatz left winger, managing to sneak in behind Atletico’s Jose Maria Giminez and play dangerous cutbacks into the box. The triangle of Hazard, Morata, and Fabregas was a constant menace to Atletico’s goal, and had Oblak not been at his imperious best today, it’s likely Fabregas would’ve ended up with an assist or two. He did register a secondary assist of sorts by playing the ball leading to Hazard’s attempt that Stefan Savic diverted into his own net.. 4

TIEMOUE BAKAYOKO. 5. Oh Tiemoué. It seemed like Bakayoko made a mistake in every facet of the game, be it passing, defending, shooting… you name it. Atletico’s goal was largely due to Bakayoko failing to track Saul as he ran onto the end of Torres’ flicked header at the back post. In attack, he won the ball excellently near Atletico’s penalty box, only to hit a weak cross right into the arms of Oblak, while Zappacosta arrived unmarked at the far post. He rather comically dribbled the ball out of play under essentially zero pressure. To be fair, the Frenchman won balls in the air and chased down Atletico’s tricky midfielders – which are his primary duties – but his erratic play with the ball and extreme lack of any discernible finishing skills made Bakayoko more of a liability than an asset. On the plus side, he is starting in these big matches and is able to make mistakes thanks to the quality of both Kante and Fabregas around him in midfield. Performances like this will hopefully become more and more rare.. 14. France

Italy. DAVIDE ZAPPACOSTA. 7. Zappacosta is inarguably a right wingback, so to see him on the left today was a bit of shock. Despite being played out of position, Zappacosta had an excellent game, both going forward and in defense. The highlight was his shot in the first half that forced Oblak to dive low to his right and palm his fizzing effort wide. On the other end, the Italian held his own against the always-dangerous Antoine Griezmann and the formerly dangerous Fernando Torres. He was asked to take on a new role against a very good opponent, and his performance today proved he was more than up to the task.. 21