Chelsea player ratings at Sheffield: Lampard’s worst showing

Willian (Right winger): 4

A tired display from Willian. This has been his first bad game since the restart of the Premier League and it’s one we can let him get away with, as long as it doesn’t occur again in the remaining games. Willian has played every game since the restart, which definitely takes a toll both mentally and physically. That will be Willian’s excuse for his sloppy performance today.

Tammy Abraham (Striker): 3

After his winner against Crystal Palace midweek, Abraham was given the nod ahead of Giroud—that was the wrong decision. His hold-up play was not good enough, nor was his movement or his balance for that matter. The only reason he does not score lower is because the only good chances Chelsea did create came through him. His movement improved in the second half, but then his finishing was lacking. Overall, he did nothing to convince Lampard that he should start against Norwich in the next game.

Olivier Giroud (Striker): 5

Giroud had to start today. Sheffield is a very physical team who is aerially dominant. Just his presence on the field made Chelsea look better in attack. He did not do too much in terms of chance creation, but is always an outlet for Chelsea to launch a long ball forward—which Chelsea did a lot.

Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 6

Pulisic was not as involved as he would have liked to be. His unwavering confidence is always impressive, however. Every time he gets the ball he looks to run at defenders. Sheffield did well to crowd the areas around the box that Pulisic likes to attack, which led to several unsuccessful dribble attempts from the young American. However, none of them affected his confidence as he was running at them once again the next time he received the ball.

The only explanation for his substitution is that Lampard did not want to keep him on the pitch fighting for a lost cause when there are several important games coming up in the next week that Chelsea will desperately need him for. His energy and fitness in those games will be crucial if the Blues are to finish in the top four this season.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (Right winger): N/A

Just like Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi got some important minutes under his belt, as well. He put in some impressive crosses, but other than that, his presence on the field was not felt. Here’s hoping that he can be more expressive if he plays a part against Norwich.

What did you think about each player’s performance? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!