Chelsea player ratings: Marcos Alonso edges Olivier Giroud for the top spot
Reece James, Right wingback: 6.5
Reece James paid more attention to his defensive duties today and that was good to see. As always, James got overconfident on more than one occasion. Frank Lampard understandably wants the Chelsea players to play with confidence, but James pushes those limits and gets in more danger of getting caught out unnecessarily. He is still playing like a 19 year-old: make of that what you will.
Overall he was good in breaking forward, and he put in some good crosses. He tried way too many skill moves that were just unnecessary given the occasion.
Marcos Alonso, Left wingback: 8.5
Marcos Alonso showed once again why playing to the player’s strength is ALWAYS a good thing. He had enough defensive cover to roam forward and do his thing. His accuracy on the ball was unsurprisingly excellent. He linked up well with Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Antonio Rudiger. He did the simple stuff well. He did not dwell on the ball for long. There was that time in the first half where he received the ball, looked up, and dropped an inch-perfect throughball right into Mason Mount’s path. That is the sort of thing Chelsea has been missing when Marcos Alonso had been left out of the starting XI.
His free kick was another reason he should be starting more games than he is. Had he gotten that free-kick on target, Hugo Lloris stood no chance.
Alonso capped off an excellent performance with a Marcos Alonso-esque goal. Similar to the one he scored against Newcastle, except sweeter.
most under-appreciated Blues. 4 players, 2 managers and the good doctor. light
Jorginho, Midfielder: 7
Jorginho did many things right. His interceptions were key. His passing was very good and he communicated well with Mateo Kovacic. He made sure that Tottenham’s creative players did not see much space to create anything. He kept it simple, and in a team with youngsters who want to try as many tricks and flicks as they can before they’re subbed off, keeping things simple is appreciated.
Chelsea is enjoying an improved Jorginho under Frank Lampard. Long may it last.
Mateo Kovacic, Midfielder: 7
Mateo Kovacic did his jobs well : resisting pressure and carrying the ball out of the defense. He and Jorginho worked together as a unit to ensure Chelsea won the midfield battle. Kovacic appeared in the right places to intercept and even won aerial challenges.
Kovacic is a true blue, always ready to do the needful, dropping in as a center-back when needed, covering as a defensive midfielder when needed and playing as the attacking midfielder if it came to it. Kovacic kept it tidy.