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Carabao Cup final Chelsea player ratings: Heartbreaking defeat

By Hugo Amaya

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Antonio Rüdiger of Chelsea battle for the ball during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Antonio Rüdiger of Chelsea battle for the ball during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 27: Diogo Jota of Liverpool and N’Golo Kante of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 27: Diogo Jota of Liverpool and N’Golo Kante of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Final match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on February 27, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images) /

Cesar Azpilicueta (Right wingback): 4/10

The captain’s contribution was cut short as he was substituted by Reece James. Although it was questioned at first, once the change was made one could understand why the skipper needed to be removed from the contest as he hobbled off. Although he performed well for the time he was on the pitch, problems were brewing on the right side of the field for Chelsea with the aforementioned Colombian winger wreaking havoc. Diaz was becoming a problem, and Azpilicueta was unable to get back in time to fulfill the defensive duties.

Going forward, he was his usual conservative self, which in most cases, is not a bad thing. But in a final against Liverpool, the team needed to take some chances.

N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 7/10

It was a decent performance from the N’Golo Kante, but it could have been better. As usual, Kante was at right place, intercepting passes, making tackles and pressuring the opposition whenever needed. However, he was loose with his passes and possession. Despite all of that, the French international was still fundamental to Chelsea’s success all the way through the end. Whatever mistakes he made were not too dangerous and were easily corrected by either himself or others.

Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 10/10

Mateo Kovacic made no mistakes and played with intensity all the way until the end—defending, passing and pressuring. The Croatian did it all and excelled at it. It was a wonderful performance that deserved a better outcome. Kovacic was the reason the Blues could formulate an attacking game plan and he was the reason the defense was able to breathe easy so many times.

Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 9/10

Despite the criticism that Marcos Alonso has received lately, this was one of his best performances in a Chelsea shirt as of late. At no point was the Spaniard out of position, nor was he beaten easily by the opposition’s attacking pace. Alonso was all over the left flank, defending, helping the midfield and trying to create openings for the attackers. Alonso performed accordingly given the occasion, all he was a missing was a trademark goal.

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