Player ratings for Chelsea: Champions of Europe once again

Reece James, Wing-Back, 10/10

There was much talk before the game amongst City fans with regards to Raheem Sterling starting in spite of his poor, recent form. However, in the aftermath of a wonderful performance from Reece James on the right of the Chelsea defense, there is a school of thought that it would not have mattered who started for City on the left side of their attack. Incredibly dominant on and off the ball, James was everywhere he needed to be throughout the 90, be it keeping Sterling in his pocket or pressing up high to provide another attacking option for his team. It is crazy to think that he is still 21, but not nearly as crazy as it is to believe that Chelsea is the champions of Europe for the second time in their history.

N’Golo Kante, Midfielder, 100/10

To put things simply, Chelsea would not find themselves as European champions for a second time in their history without N’Golo Kante’s performance against Manchester City. In a game where City chose not to start with a defensive midfielder, it is perhaps the greatest irony of all that an opposition defensive midfielder would ultimately go on to dominate headlines across Europe with a man of the match performance. Constantly harassing the opposition whilst proving himself as an equal threat carrying the ball into the attacking third, it was a vintage Kante performance that would undoubtedly go down as one of the best in the history of this competition.

Jorginho, Midfielder, 10/10

With City abandoning the need for a defensive midfielder in their starting eleven right from the off, it was clear that Chelsea’s opponents on the night intended to press the Blues high up the pitch in hopes of scoring an early goal. With this in mind, Jorginho’s role as the man to recycle possession for his team is vital in ensuring that Manchester City’s game plan does not come to fruition. Having been rather shaky and unconvincing in recent outings, the Italian was nevertheless impeccable in the biggest game of his career thus far. It has not been an easy season for Jorginho by any stretch of the imagination and having faced constant scrutiny since his arrival on English shores back in 2018, perhaps a UCL winner’s medal will finally put any remaining criticism to bed.

Ben Chilwell, Wing-Back, 10/10

Brought in for £45 million in the summer, there has been much debate as to how good of a signing Chilwell has been, especially in the earlier parts of Tuchel’s reign when Marcos Alonso was frequently selected in place of the Englishman. However, much like the team did on the night, Chilwell saved his best performances of the season for the last. Strong when defending against the pace of Kyle Walker and the trickery of Riyad Mahrez, Chilwell also combined very well with Mount in the first half. It was the 24-year-old’s perfect touch from Mendy’s goal kick that allowed him to send Mount racing into City’s half, with the latter eventually treading a perfect ball through for Havertz to open the scoring. Overall, a brilliant performance and well-deserving of a 10 out of 10 rating.