Chelsea 2-0 Boro player ratings: Ziyech books ticket to Wembley

Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 5.5/10

Mateo Kovacic was quiet for large parts of the game. He was really poor compared to what fans have come to expect from him. His consistency until this point means that there’s nothing to worry about, but the central midfield is a very important part of the pitch when playing against lower league opposition and the Croatian was run over.

Kovacic’s passing was off and he was dribbled past twice at the Riverside Stadium. He did win four out of seven duels though. It’s difficult to determine which is worse: the fact that Kovacic was subbed off the pitch while on a 73% passing accuracy or the fact that Kovacic had not even attempted a long ball until that point. He only tried short and mid-range passes and he still couldn’t complete up to 90% of them. Chelsea was saved by the fact that its forwards and defenders were in such top form that the central midfielders didn’t have to be sturdy on the night.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): 6/10

There was an incredibly infuriating moment where Ruben Loftus-Cheek held on to the ball for too long, nearly lost it at the edge of his box and then eventually lost it, putting the Blues under pressure. Loftus-Cheek has to stop holding on to the ball longer than he needs to, it is immature and only expected from players much younger than him. He is a big player (literally) and he often knows how to use that to his advantage, but it’s only an advantage if used as a means to an end.

Dribbling around two people becomes stupid when one tries to dribble by a third person, instead of passing it, and lose it. Loftus-Cheek not only did this in this game, but he has done it several times in the past, as well. A player that dribbles unnecessarily cannot be trusted by his manager, more so for a player who plays the position he plays, where the margin for error is slim-to-none. The Englishman won seven out of 12 duels, which is good. Loftus-Cheek did, however, complete one out of four attempted dribbles—case in point.

Mason Mount (Central attacking midfielder): 8.5/10

Mason Mount was one of Chelsea’s most efficient players. His movement was impeccable, his low cross to Romelu Lukaku for the Blues’ first goal was of the highest quality, as well. His assist for Hakim Ziyech’s goal was more credit to the Moroccan for hitting the ball in a way that made many think the goal was due to a goalkeeping error. He completed zero dribbles and won just two out of his six duels, but he did create the joint-most chances on the pitch, including a big chance.