Chelsea at Norwich City player ratings: Havertz, Mount shine in 3-1 victory

Chelsea left Carrow Road with a 3-1 win in a game that proved more difficult than it was supposed to be due to poor finishing. The Blues got a lot of space and clear-cut chances in the first 20 to 25 minutes, but at some point, Norwich City grew into the game. Chelsea wasn’t quite finding as much space anymore, especially in the second half of the contest as Thomas Tuchel’s men seemingly went into autopilot. In a game that at one point looked like an incredibly easy road victory, it reached a point where the points were hanging in the balance following the Canaries’ penalty to cut the deficit to one goal. It was a superb performance though, especially considering everything happening off the pitch.

How did each player perform in the statement victory on Thursday:

Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 7/10

Edouard Mendy was not called upon a lot on the night, but when he was, he did what was required. Norwich created good chances that Mendy needed to deal with throughout much of the second half. He could’ve done without the penalty antics as he’s not good at saving them anyway. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get a clean sheet at Carrow Road, but Thursday was more about the win than anything else given the circumstances.

Trevoh Chalobah (Right centerback): 8/10

Trevoh Chalobah was excellent in defense, winning 11 out of his 12 contested duels. His passing was also very good and his performance was made even better by the opening goal. Chalobah’s passing was superb, his ball retention was top notch and he led the team in interceptions too.

Thiago Silva (Centerback): 7.5/10

Thiago Silva was very good at Norwich. He took care of everything that came his way. The Canaries were forced to try and play through the flanks because they couldn’t play through the middle, all thanks to the Brazilian. Silva was impeccable in all areas of play. His distribution was a joy to watch and he was solid both in the air and on the ground. It’s funny that there were reports that Silva forced Tuchel’s Paris Saint-Germain team to sit deep because of his speed. Silva has been the perfect high-line defender since he came to Chelsea. His anticipation makes him read play faster than everyone else and he often doesn’t need to do a lot of running.

Andreas Christensen (Left centerback): 7.5/10

Andreas Christensen showed why it will not be as difficult to replace Antonio Rudiger as many may think with his performance on Thursday evening. Christensen was nearly perfect in the game, granted it was Norwich. Christensen was the only player who completed all of his long balls amongst all players to attempt more than three in the contest.  Christensen also won five out of six contested duels. All three centerbacks for Chelsea were stellar on the night.