Chelsea player ratings at Fulham: Performance less important than points

Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): 6.5/10

Hakim Ziyech did what he was bought for: try to create goal scoring chances. He had his work cut out for him, playing against a well-organized and very resilient Fulham team. There were murmurs of discontent among the fanbase during the game, complaining about crosses and whatnot, failing to mention that Chelsea’s goal eventually came from the result of two unsuccessful crosses.

At the end of the day, the purpose of a cross is to put the ball into the box. It has always been a Chelsea thing to find scapegoats for unsatisfactory performances, but Ziyech did not see much movement to work with. That said, the moves he did try to execute, he could have and should have done better. He, like all the other new signings, needs time to play with these teammates and build chemistry. “Give them time!” is not a song that should only be sang for the younger talents.

Olivier Giroud (Striker): 7/10

Olivier Giroud tried his best, but he didn’t impress unfortunately. He won 20 percent of his aerial duels, which is really poor for a heading specialist that is 6-foot-4. He created two chances, which is worth noting against a side that was setup precisely to NOT give away chances. Giroud can’t really be blamed too much because Fulham has made better attackers look worse. He took a few shots, that on a different day could have become something better. He put in a good enough shift to secure three points against difficult opponents.

Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 6.5/10

Christian Pulisic completed zero of his four attempted dribbles; he also won zero of his six ground duels. He did create two chances, including one clear cut chance, which is impressive because it was the only clear cut chance that Chelsea created and it came in the 93′. Pulisic was simply another victim of a very disciplined defense. It’s possible that the Chelsea attackers just didn’t expect the level of organization they saw from their west London neighbors.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (Right winger): 6.5/10

Callum Hudson-Odoi was a refreshing difference from Ziyech. He did well to stretch the pitch and gave the Fulham players a different decision to make. He certainly wasn’t the beam of brilliance that the fans say he was though. He definitely wasn’t the best player on the pitch when he came on, not even close. Blues fans always seem to want what is absent, they quickly get tired of what they’re seeing and want something different, so when they see that something different, they convince themselves that it’s better than it actually is. Hudson-Odoi was good when he came and he needed to come on, but he was nowhere near as fantastic as certain reviews are suggesting.

Tammy Abraham (Striker): 6/10

Tammy Abraham wasn’t great, Fulham seemed ready for him. The Cottagers got in his personal space and refused to allow the Englishman to operate, fair play to them. It’s difficult to come on as a sub and make a striking difference, especially in a game like this where Fulham was already difficult to break down, even before it had reason to sit back and lock up.

Timo Werner (Left winger): 5/10

Timo Werner was poor again. In the short time he was on the pitch, he managed to miss Chelsea’s only big chance of the match. Credit to him that he got into the position to get the chance, but the German No. 9 has now scored four goals and missed nine big chances. This is worrying. The fanbase is divided on where he should be played, but Werner needs some time on the bench—it’s the only way. He has been getting chances, which is what strikers pray for, but he’s missing too many of them compared to the amount he’s scoring. It’s near inexcusable.

What would you rate each player? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!