Chelsea player ratings: Anthony Taylor steals the show in the final

Frank Lampard’s first chance of silverware with Chelsea was denied by a good Arsenal side aided by some horrendous refereeing.

Frank Lampard and Chelsea would have loved to add an FA Cup trophy to their already successful season which saw the Blues exceed all preseason expectations and finish in the top four. It would have been great for some of the young players to get their first taste of glory, and with an onlooking Timo Werner, the stage was set for a glorious night at Wembley. However, the referee, Anthony Taylor had other ideas.

Lampard ended the game with a depleted squad, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante, Willian, Pedro, Christian Pulisic, and club captain Cesar Azpilicueta all missing the game due to injury or picking up injuries during the game. Overall, it was a night to forget for the Blues as well as their fans as they should take this time to reflect on what an unbelievable job Lampard has done and what a great season of football Chelsea has played with the players available to them. Here’s how the squad performed individually:

Willy Caballero (Keeper): 5

Chosen ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga once again, one cannot blame Caballero for either of the goals that Chelsea conceded in yesterday’s game. He was hardly troubled during the game, so it is hard to find faults in his performance. However, that being said, his passing was not always the best.

Cesar Azpilicueta (Center back): 4

Every Chelsea fan in the world wishes Cesar Azpilicueta a speedy recovery. Over the years, he has been the club’s most durable player and he was bound to pick up an injury sooner or later. Unfortunately, Azpilicueta’s injury meant that there was very little leadership left on the pitch, which benefited Arsenal. He will not be pleased with himself for giving away a penalty which very easily could have also resulted in a red card based on the way the game was refereed.

Kurt Zouma (Center back): 5

It was an average display from Kurt Zouma. He did well to make five clearances and was extremely important for Chelsea while defending corners. however his defending for Arsenal’s second goal was something he will not want to look back on.

Antonio Rudiger (Center back): 2

Yet again, another shambolic performance from Antonio Rudiger. Many are running out of appropriate words to describe his defending. He was rinsed multiple times during the game and failed to show any of the determination that he talked about on his Instagram caption prior to the game. After this performance it is completely evident as to which defender must depart in the transfer window.

Andreas Christensen (Center back/Substitute): 8

Andreas Christensen showed once again that, on his day, he can be Chelsea’s best center back. In his 55 minutes on the pitch, he made four clearances, four tackles, one interception and managed to make an important block on a goal bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot. Given that he has found himself out of the playing 11 recently, he can be proud of his performance.