Chelsea player ratings vs. West Ham: Pulisic shines as Blues fall
By Ishan Shah
Chelsea suffered a frustrating defeat in yet another London Derby against West Ham, but how did each Blues player perform?
A chance to move two points ahead of Leciester City in third place was squandered by Chelsea on Wednesday. It was always going to be a difficult game with West Ham defending deep and attacking Chelsea on the counter and on set-pieces. Give credit to West Ham where it’s due for identifying the Blues’ two biggest weaknesses in defence, but Frank Lampard’s men have got to do better.
West Ham completed the league double over Chelsea this season, which once again highlights the pattern of dropping points against sides who adopt a more defensive approach against the Blues. This is an issue that Lampard will hope to sort out before it is too late, as Manchester United and Wolves sit only two points behind Chelsea. This was a chance to be in pole position for Champions League qualification and Chelsea fans have every right to be frustrated by the result. Let’s take a look at the individual ratings:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 6
It is hard to blame Arrizabalaga for the second and third goals, but one would expect him to do much better in dealing with the first goal. He pulled off a good one-on-one save against Michail Antonio that prevented it being a 4-2 finish, but his overall game was not convincing.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right back): 6
Azpilicueta was at fault for the first goal, but one really has to question why Lampard tasked him with marking Tomas Soucek when the likes of Tammy Abraham and Antonio Rudiger were on the pitch. He put in some good crosses in the second half, but at times he wasn’t creative enough.
Antonio Rudiger (Centreback): 3
One of the worst performances of his Chelsea career. Rudiger got bullied by Antonio throughout the game and was directly or indirectly at fault for all three West Ham goals. It’s hard to understand why Lampard refuses to start Kurt Zouma instead of the German as he continues to put in poor performances.
Andreas Christensen (Centreback): 6
Not a great day for the Danish defender, but when compared to his counterpart Rudiger, he seems much more focused and dependable. He showed great pace and strength against Antonio in the first half, but the defensive unit as a whole failed to show up in the second. His marking of Antonio for West Ham’s second goal was questionable, to say the least.
Marcos Alonso (Left back): 5
Alonso got forward several times today and stretched the game, but was wasteful with his crosses. One would also have to question how Andriy Yarmolenko found himself in acres of uncontested space in the build-up to his goal. As threatening as he can be going forward, Alonso certainly doesn’t to enough defensively to justify his selection. Yet another reminder that a new left back is desperately needed.