Chelsea vs Porto player ratings: Blues book place in UCL semifinals

Reece James (Right wingback): 6/10

This was a disappointing performance from the young fullback. Reece James has improved his game immensely from last season, becoming a more consistent and ruthless player. However, we saw him fall back into his old habits on Tuesday night. James looked sluggish at times, he lacked the strength that often gives him the edge over his competition and his passing missed the mark. James wasn’t awful; he just failed to live up to the high standards we’ve set for him. The Englishman will be unlucky to find himself on the wrong side of a highlight for years to come as he was the one tasked with marking Mehdi Taremi during his spectacular overhead goal.

N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 8.5/10

This performance was vintage N’Golo Kante. There were rumors Kante would not play the full 90 minutes as he’s still in the process of recovering. However, with Mateo Kovacic injured Monday in training, Billy Gilmour not in the squad and Jorginho playing alongside him, the Blues’ replacement options were non-existent. Kante was everywhere on the day, closing down passing lanes and making stunning challenges left and right. It was a Man of the Match-esque performance, if only it wasn’t for his partner in crime on the night.

Jorginho (Central midfielder): 9/10

Jorginho was the Man of the Match—no ifs, ands or buts about it. The midfield maestro was surprisingly nimble, avoiding Porto tackles like nobody’s business. He controlled the tempo and helped wiggle Chelsea out of some tight situations. If not for Jorginho’s adeptness on the ball, the Blues may have found themselves playing with their backs against the wall far more often than they would’ve been comfortable with.

Ben Chilwell (Left wingback): 6.5/10

Ben Chilwell’s performance was similar to that out his wingback colleague, James. Chilwell’s positioning on the night was poor and he failed to get service into the front three on numerous occasions. There is no one individual to “blame” for Porto’s goal—sometimes you just have to sit back and acknowledge the individual brilliance of your opponent—but upon review, Chilwell was way out of position. He’ll be kicking himself over this performance as it may have just opened the door back up for a competition at left wingback with Marcos Alonso.