Chelsea player ratings: N’Golo Kante, Antonio Rudiger carry the Blues on
By George Perry
Chelsea needed 30 extra minutes and a header from Pedro to advance in the FA Cup. N’Golo Kante took ownership of his former pitch in an absolutely dominant performance.
Alvaro Morata broke his drought with a sublime goal, N’Golo Kante took his play to another level and Chelsea have a date with Southampton at Wembley. If they could only flip the switch to bring Eden Hazard back to life, things might actually look good for the run-in.
Goalkeeper and defence
7. Willy Caballero lives life on the edge and he lives there well. Aside from an errant clearance that went straight to Riyad Mahrez, which Mahrez wastefully blasted high into the King Power stands, Caballero was once again the fourth defender and sometimes the third midfielder. He ran out several times to interdict an on-rushing Jamie Vardy, who had the better of Cesar Azpilicueta for much of the game. Caballero stayed well off his line so he could react to a long pass sending Leicester on the counter. He also made a top notch save which neither he nor his defenders could keep away from Vardy for Leicester’s goal. We’ll see him at Wembley.<br />. 1. Argentina. WILLY CABALLERO
28. Spain. CESAR AZPILICUETA. 6. Azpilicueta could not find the right balance of pushing forward to help Chelsea’s attack and offer himself as a recycle option, and staying deep to protect against a Jamie Vardy blitz. This limited his success in both aspects of the game. Several times he tried to find Alvaro Morata on their trademark cross, but Morata could not time his runs with Azpilicueta’s intent so the defender held back.
27. Denmark. ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN. 6.5. Christensen looked closer to his early-season form against Leicester than he had in the foregoing run against Barcelona and the Manchester clubs. Perhaps Caballero had a calming influence on the young Dane. He made smart, well-timed interceptions in the box and knew when to move up off the back line towards the top of the box. Hopefully this is the turning point and the recent run is in the rearview mirror.<br />
8.5. Antonio Rudiger approached N’Golo Kante levels of being everywhere, doing everything and playing impeccably. Only because Kante was at his absolute best was Rudiger’s performance somewhat overshadowed. Rudiger knew exactly when and how to play up and inside among the midfielders, and at times was a more effective partner to N’Golo Kante than Tiemoue Bakayoko. Rudiger’s intelligence and athleticism combined for the kind of performance Chelsea hope for when they signed him.<br />. 2. Germany. ANTONIO RUDIGER