Chelsea player ratings at Zenit: Defeating draw in St. Petersburg

Champions League holder Chelsea traveled to the Gazprom Arena hoping to qualify for the Round of 16 as the Group H winner, but instead, the Blues were held to a 3-3 draw against Zenit. The London side started the game in dream fashion as Timo Werner gave Chelsea the lead in the second minute from a Ross Barkley corner. However, the large number of changes meant that the team lacked chemistry, which was very evident after the first 10 minutes as Zenit dominated the game going forward. With less than 10 minutes to go in the first half, Zenit equalized through Claudinho. The hosts then took the lead just minutes later as Sardar Azmoun was clear through on goal, able to round Kepa Arrizabalaga and score his side’s second of the night.

The Blues started the second half with purpose and with less than half an hour remaining, Romelu Lukaku leveled the match. Timo Werner completed the turnaround with a sharp finish via Christian Pulisic’s through ball, but in the dying minutes of the game, Magomed Ozdoev’s sublime strike from the edge of the box made sure that Juventus ended up as the group winner.

Here’s how each of the players fared against a dangerous Zenit side:

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 8/10

Kepa Arrizabalaga came in to replace Edouard Mendy in goal and was pretty much the deciding factor in Chelsea not being majorly embarrassed in the first half. If not for Arrizabalaga, Zenit could have scored at least four goals as he saved two one-on-one situations. In the second half too, when the game was level, the Spaniard denied Zenit from taking the lead. He kept the Blues in the match until the end.

Cesar Azpilicueta (Right centerback): 6.5/10

Cesar Azpilicueta was the most experienced player in the back line on Wednesday and it was showcased in his performance. Throughout the game, the club captain looked comfortable, even when Zenit was on the assault in the first half. But with the team conceding three goals, it’s difficult to say that Azpilicueta—or any member of the defense—had a particularly good game.

Andreas Christensen (Centerback): 5/10

The Danish centerback started his third consecutive game for the Blues amid his contractual problems. Unfortunately, it seems that the contractual speculations are affecting his game as he is playing nowhere near the form shown earlier this season. Christensen kept switching off far too often and his poor marking allowed Azmoun to race through one-on-one with Arrizabalaga to give Zenit the lead. He needs to improve drastically but first sort out the contractual situation.

Malang Sarr (Left centerback): 3/10

Malang Sarr made just his fourth start for the club this season and was shambolic for most of the game. Positionally speaking, the French defender was an embarrassment as he was caught out many times, which put the defense under immense pressure. Sarr played Claudinho onside for Zenit’s first goal and didn’t even make an effort to run back to the goal when Sardar was through on goal. In the second half, Sarr was a bit better, but it was clear as day from this performance that he is not a player of Chelsea’s quality at this moment in time.