Chelsea ratings: Never turn your back, as Fikayo Tomori edges Mateo Kovacic
By George Perry
Mateo Kovacic, Midfielder: 9 – 2 = 7
Most of our praise for Mateo Kovacic this season has been for his ability to dribble through tight spaces to bring the ball out from defence and across the midfield line. Hull City stood 10-15 yards off him for most of the first half, and Kovacic took that opportunity to forego dribbling and instead execute a non-stop series of passes that can best be described as Fabregas-ian.
Kovacic found every pass at every angle, weighted and timed them all perfectly, and was at the root of everything Chelsea did at every stage of their transition and offensive game. Long diagonals, narrowly-angled through balls, straight passes up the middle that cut through four Hull players as easily as Kovacic himself would normally dribble through such a gauntlet.
He was easily Chelsea’s man of the match for the first hour, and arguably would have been for the game if not for his role in Hull’s goal.
It’s not that the ball bounced off him and into the net. He opened his body away from the rest of the wall and turned his back to the shot. Either would have been a woeful moment, but the combination allowed the shot to bounce off his back and leave Caballero helpless.
Given that he was in the wall, this was worse than Jorginho’s turn-and-duck-and-cringe-and-cower on Hector Bellerin’s shot on Tuesday. When a defender turns his back on a shot, it tends to end the way these two incidents did. It cost Chelsea a goal and nearly cost them a replay, and it cost him two points here in the all-important some-guy-on-a-laptop ratings.
Ross Barkley, Midfielder: 6
At times, Barkley was sublime, the player everyone wants him to be and the player he often is for England if ever so rarely for Chelsea. At other times, he was the player too many fans are starting to think he is and always will be for Chelsea. For every direct run and simple passing combination with another midfielder or winger there was that oblivious sequence where he is out position and out of the play.
In keeping with the theme of the game, it was a microcosm of everything else.
Mason Mount, Midfielder: 7
Mason Mount took several hard fouls and challenges throughout the game, which is a good measure of how well he was attacking Hull’s midfield and defensive lines. Perhaps they also still had some resentment for him from his time at Derby County last season.
He had three shots and two key passes (tied for the best such combination), and had one of Chelsea’s two best chances to go up 2-0 in the first half (Barkley having the other).
Mount has five goals this season, all in the Premier League. Four came in the first eight games, and only one in the three months since. It would be good for his confidence and everyone’s confidence in him to see him finish one of these shots, but at least he is creating the opportunities for himself. Even though he has the sixth-most minutes (400 fewer than Cesar Azpilicueta, the leader among outfield players), Mount has played in more games than any other Blue.
He probably is in serious need of a mental and physical rest, but you have to wonder sometimes if Frank Lampard has blinders, a perceived dependence or a very strange soft spot for his protege.