There were a lot surprises before the noon kickoff on Sunday from Stamford Bridge; from the snow on the pitch to the Chelsea team selection. The game finished 3-1 to the Blues as Frank Lampard’s side punched its ticket into the next round. It wasn’t as straightforward as the score line suggests though, Luton had spells within the game that posed some danger.
The main headline from the game was Tammy Abraham getting his hat-trick, but how did every one else on the pitch perform?
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 5/10
Kepa Arrizabalaga got his annual start in the FA Cup, but they may be soon coming to end. He had one shot to deal with in the first half and let it in. The second half was more kind to Arrizabalaga, who made a good near post save with his left hand. From then on, he was in the clear, but he isn’t a reassuring goalkeeper you want have in net against better opposition.
Reece James (Right back): 7/10
Reece James had a real good game in my opinion, he notched an assist on Abraham’s second goal and put in the some great deliveries the entire game. Defensively, he did much better than against Leicester, besides one mistake in the second half that almost led to a goal.
Andreas Christensen (Centerback): 7/10
I thought Andreas Christensen was the better of the two central defenders, he looked more comfortable on the ball and cleared it when he was in danger. The Dane really couldn’t have done anything for the goal, as he was on the other side the box when it went in.
Kurt Zouma (Centerback): 6/10
Kurt Zouma has been shaky for the past few games, which led to his eventual dropping from the Blues’ Starting XI. He wasn’t at his best on Sunday either. On the Luton goal, he was right in front of Jordan Clark and instead of making himself big, he blocked Arrizabalaga’s view of the shot and moved out of the way, which lead to the goal. On the ball, he wasn’t reassuring at all with a couple mistakes.
Emerson (Left back): 7/10
Emerson did his job both in offering support for Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson Odoi on the left flank. He did so by overlapping on occasion and defensively made good decisions. The Brazilian tackled with confidence and recovered well, a decent performance for the back-up left back.