Chelsea player ratings vs. Spurs: Pedro, Mateo Kovacic best among Blues
By George Perry
Pedro, Right wing: 9
Pedro played as though he was the most-decorated player in the Premier League, which he is. He was impressive throughout the game on both sides of the ball, but three moments capture his night. First, his goal, which was the result of the sort of direct run and willingness to shoot that keeps him in the starting XI, particularly when the Blues plan to stay out of possession.
Second, his tackle on Christian Eriksen. Eriksen had stepped past Cesar Azpilicueta and was about to round Antonio Rudiger, which would have given him a clear shooting lane and an option to pass to an open teammate at a slightly tighter angle. Pedro slid in on Eriksen, did as much fancy footwork on the ground as he would normally do on his own dribbles, sheltered the ball away from Eriksen, got to his feet and dribbled diagonally through traffic to take the play over midfield on Chelsea’s left. The sequence had elements of N’Golo Kante, but with that particular Pedro freneticism.
Finally, in the final minutes of the game, Pedro was scooting around Danny Rose on a Chelsea set piece, making himself an absolute pest with an exuberant smile on his face. Pedro knew what a great game he had, what the night meant to the team and the club, and – having done it so many times – just how much fun it is to beat Tottenham.
Gonzalo Higuain, Striker: 6.5
Higuain hit the woodwork early, because that’s what happens to Chelsea players. After that he only had a few looks at goal, and none particularly threatening or interesting.
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Eden Hazard, Left wing: 7
Hazard certainly wanted this game and was doing his best to do the sort of things he normally does against Tottenham, but they were just weren’t happening. Maurizio Sarri made his second-gutsiest call of the night by withdrawing Hazard up 1-0 in the 60′. Hazard showed true leadership by calmly walking off the pitch without any shouting, protestation, insubordination or… I’m sorry, the word we’re using is “miscommunication.” There was no miscommunication.
Banter aside, Hazard did not look angry or dejected when his number came up on the board and he left the pitch. He comported himself professionally, and the crowd responded in kind. It showed how much the team and the fans had come back together over the last three days.
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Perhaps that’s a sign that the Kepa Arrizabalaga incident is behind everyone and we can move on to more interesting and more important things.