Chelsea player ratings: Kepa, Barkley strong seconds behind Billy Gilmour

Chelsea have nearly half their starting XI vying to be the runner-up man of the match, as Billy Gilmour was the undisputed top Blue against Liverpool.

Redeemed. Rejuvenated. Revitalized. Many of Chelsea’s best performances against Liverpool came from players who had spent time on the bench or even further outside the squad, or elsewhere in Frank Lampard’s plans for a given situation. Every player earned the right to a future start with fewer caveats and question marks around his name,

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Goalkeeper: 9

As a standalone performance, this was an impressive 90 minutes of goalkeeping. Kepa Arrizabalaga made more saves than in any other game this season, with three of the five coming in a rapid fire burst of barely 10 seconds in the 20′. Arrizabalaga’s positioning was impeccable, and it made his reaction stops possible. Throughout the game he had complete control of his box, punching and claiming crosses out of the air, loudly organizing his defence and regularly waving Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger to go forward on goal kicks, smartly eschewing playing out from the back in favour of aiming for Olivier Giroud 60 yards away.

But in the context of the last month, this was as impressive and important as anything he has done in his career. He showed the combination of humility and hunger that reflects his manager’s playing days. Whatever Frank Lampard told him sunk in. Whatever the goalkeeping coaches and Willy Caballero had to offer him in terms of training and mentorship had an effect. This was a different player tactically and technically.

If Frank Lampard asked Kepa Arrizabalaga to sum up his performance in two words, they would be: Message received.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Right back: 7

Classic Azpilicueta performance: You could almost forget he was there, just as how you could forget Divock Origi was there, and then you put it all together and remember that Origi’s absence was because of Azpilicueta’s presence. Azpilicueta won the second-most headers on the team: more than Kurt Zouma, more than Marcos Alonso, more than Antonio Rudiger – more than anyone except Olivier Giroud.

Chelsea won because their defence functioned more as a unit than in any other game this season, and the veteran defender and right back is at the root of it.

Despite all the minutes he has played this season and the amount of ground he has covered at all speeds in every stage of the game, Azpilicueta is showing no sign of fatigue or lapses in concentration. It’s dangerous to ride that wave, especially given the injury epidemic sweeping through the club, but Azpilicueta is absolutely vital to this side.

Antonio Rudiger, Centreback: 6

While all the Chelsea players padded their clearance stats, Rudiger did more than the rest to not just shell the ball downfield – as important as that is – but to use those moments to start an attack. He had the second-most long balls behind Arrizabalaga, which helped Chelsea keep possession – even if not in a full transition to attack – rather than just reset a Liverpool possession.

On defence, though, he was the weakest of the backline. During Arrizabalaga’s triple save, Rudiger was chasing the ball, always a step behind.

While Kurt Zouma went to the goal line to backup Arrizabalaga and the other defenders closed in on individual Liverpool players, Rudiger scrambled around and ultimately at had no real impact on the play. In those chaotic situations, a centreback’s role is reduced to shot blocker. The easiest way to do that, as Zouma demonstrated, is simply to get on the goal line. That sequence was the extreme moment of his spotty positioning and reading of the play. But all in all, it was a clean sheet, so you can only say so much about the centrebacks.

Kurt Zouma, Centreback: 7.5

Zouma and Arrizabalaga combined for the shakiest moment of the game, which, coming in the first few minutes, threatened to set the tone. They both recovered from that botched attempt to play out from the back, with Arrizabalaga in particular learning the lesson to not even try such things.

There’s a bit of irony that Kurt Zouma suffered a severe injury while landing from a header, yet he seems the most willing of Chelsea’s centrebacks to use his size as a weapon in the air. Even if he doesn’t win the aerial duel, he can put off the opposing player so the ball falls to a teammate or falls and rolls to safety.

The last two games reaffirmed what we knew from earlier in the season that Zouma and Fikayo Tomori are the best individual centrebacks the Blues have and comprise the best pairing.

Marcos Alonso, Left back: 7.5

Liverpool sent most of their attacks down Chelsea’s left side, surely because they know that Marcos Alonso can’t defend, especially in a four-man defence. That’s what all the Twitter thought leaders and #influencers tell us, so it has to be true, right?

No. Wrong.

Marcos Alonso had his best game as a left back, working with Pedro to neutralize Liverpool’s attacks.

The tactic of using the wingers outside the full-backs allowed Alonso to cover more aerial situations than ground duels, which plays to his defensive strengths. He paid more attention to his defensive duties throughout the game, being much more selective in when he went forward. Again, having Pedro in front of him gave Chelsea enough of an offensive impetus on the left that they did not need Alonso as much. But when he did go into the final 20 yards or into the box, he and Pedro made great connections with each other and Olivier Giroud.

Now if only Alonso could get more comfortable passing and shooting with his right foot.