Which players impressed as Chelsea draw Graham Potter’s opener

Mateo Kovacic

With such a stationary player in the middle of the pitch behind him, Mateo Kovacic contributed much higher up the pitch, doing all of the small things in and out of possession that may have not been recorded on the scoresheet. 73 percent of the possession was mostly because of the work rate of Kovacic, and his willingness to not give up on a play even when it may seem like a lost cause. Without Kante, the Blues needed to inject some electricity into the midfield, and Kovacic provided just that, finishing the match second on the team in total tackles.

He nearly netted a goal just before the half with sheer effort in the box. The Croatian adds so much to the Blues on both sides of the ball, and as games become more and more crucial, Potter is going to need to call on players that will do anything that needs to be done in order to outwork the opposition. His crafty pass through the backline ahead to Armando Broja almost doubled the Blues’ lead and put away the 16-time Austrian league winners. Kovacic’s performance looked to have led to reinvigorated energy amongst the midfield with the introduction of the new manager. With the break ahead, he has plenty of time to get to where he wants to be with the nagging knee injury that kept him out for quite some time at the beginning of the season.