Chelsea 2-1 Plymouth player ratings: Alonso’s goal wins FA Cup clash

A Thomas Tuchel-less Chelsea took on League One side Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of this season’s FA Cup on Saturday. The Blues were looking to book their place in the next round of the competition before flying off to Abu Dhabi to participate in the Club World Cup. Coming up against a resolute Plymouth, the home side—who was hardly at its best—had to dig in deep to finally come out victorious after 120 minutes of football.

Here are the player ratings from the Blues’ nervous win against the Pilgrims:

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 8/10

While there was nothing Kepa Arrizabalaga could have done to stop Plymouth’s first goal, the Spaniard was undoubtedly key to Chelsea getting away with a narrow victory against the Pilgrims. Apart from the crucial penalty save in the 118′ of the game, Arrizabalaga was able to, on multiple occasions, alleviate the pressure on his defence by claiming or punching away various crosses from Plymouth’s players. Easily the Man of the Match on the day.

Cesar Azpilicueta (Right back): 7/10

As has been widely reported, Cesar Azpilicueta is in the final year of his current contract and questions have been raised as to his continued value to the team, especially at 32 years of age. Against Saturday’s opponents, however, Chelsea’s “Mr. Reliable” once again served up a timely reminder of just how important he can be to his side whenever he is called upon. Scorer of the vital equaliser with a Gianfranco Zola-esque flick at the near post, the Spaniard was also at his defensive best on the day, working hard to lock down the left side of Plymouth’s attack. It is clear that Chelsea’s captain still has gas left in his tank, and is up to the board and the player himself to decide as a collective what is the best option moving forward.

Antonio Rudiger (Centreback): 7/10

The constant presence at the heart of any defence that Tuchel puts out, Saturday’s outing was Rudiger’s 32nd start of the season already. Solid at the back once again, it is hard to believe that someone as crucial as the German could end up as a free agent in less than four months’ time. If Tuchel sees a reason to start Rudiger even in the fourth round of the FA Cup, perhaps it is best if an agreement between player and club can be reached as soon as possible.

Andreas Christensen (Centreback): 5/10

Subbed off at halftime to accommodate for the introduction of a specialist left back in light of Malang Sarr’s poor first half showing, Andreas Christensen has reason to feel a little hard done by. He was strong in the air when called upon, and was his usual, reliable self when distributing the ball from the back. His limited time on the pitch warrants him a rating of no higher than a five though.

Malang Sarr (Left back): 5/10

Sarr did not have a good opening half deployed in the left back position and his performance serves as a timely reminder that the Frenchman is not a natural left back by any stretch of the imagination. While Sarr’s performance did improve after he was shifted back into a more central role, the 23-year-old most certainly did not cover himself in glory when he clumsily conceded a 118′ penalty to Plymouth. It was a below-par performance from Sarr and he will undoubtedly be counting his lucky stars that the penalty killer, Arrizabalaga, was there to save him from further embarrassment.