Chelsea player ratings: Blues hold on to win at Sheffield United

Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel and his reinvigorated troops made it three wins in a row after a 2-1 victory at Brammal Lane. The German manager is yet to be beaten in his four games in charge of Chelsea and has taken the London based club to within a single point of fourth place Liverpool. The race to finishing in the top four is heating up and though it may seem as if the Blues are among the favorites to do so, Sheffield United were successful in exposing some of Chelsea’s weaknesses under Tuchel.

Chris Wilder’s men were hungry and ready for a battle. The rock-bottom side proved yet again that they would not go down without a fight. Out of the last four games, it is Sheffield United who have posed the biggest threat to Tuchel’s side thus far. They caused Chelsea several problems, and started the game extremely brightly. So how did each individual player step up to the test?

Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 7

Edouard Mendy went into this game with 10 clean sheets in 19 Premier League appearances, a tally that has only been bettered by the legendary Petr Cech in Chelsea’s history. The Senegalese goalkeeper was a passenger for the majority of the game but was called into making a smart diving save at the end of the game. Crucially, he was also able to claim a couple of dangerous crosses – the same kind that caused Chelsea problems last season.

Mendy also ended the game with a pass completion rate of 88.1% and accurately delivered 50% of his attempted long passes. If it was not for a lapse in concentration from a certain center back, he would have surely secured clean sheet number 11.

Cesar Azpilicueta (Right Centre Back): 6

Club captain, Cesar Azpilicueta, was solid as always. He went about his business, did not try anything too flashy, and did not make any glaring mistakes other than a poor giveaway which led to Sheffield United’s first chance of the game. In Thiago Silva’s absence, Azpilicueta’s leadership on the field was extremely crucial to securing all three points.

Andreas Christensen (Centre Back): 7.5

Filling in for someone as good as Silva is no easy task. Given Christensen’s poor season so far and his reputation among Chelsea fans, he deserves massive credit for proving his worth against Sheffield United. Under huge amounts of pressure, Christensen did not put a single foot wrong. He was solid at the back, and was particularly impressive in the air, winning five out of eight aerial duels. The Dane also did a good job of moving the ball around and was not afraid to step out of defense and go on a run. How long can he keep this up?

Antonio Rudiger (Left Centre Back): 6

Antonio Rudiger’s performance was almost flawless – almost being the key word. He won every single duel he contested, made two very important tackles, four clearances, and completed all but one of his nine attempted long passes. However, one cannot ignore his lapse in concentration which almost cost Chelsea the game. Although he made significant efforts to make up for his mistake, the silly own goal does reflect negatively on his rating.