Chelsea pulled off an emphatic and impressive 2-0 win against defending champions Manchester City. Maurizio Sarri caused some stir among fans when he decided to play Eden Hazard, Willian, and Pedro up front with traditional striker, Olivier Giroud, benched and Alvaro Morata dropped from the matchday squad altogether. In the end, the tactics, the formation, and the changes paid off!
Chelsea desperately needed this win to lift themselves, The Blues had lost two of their last 3 games, and were doubly determined to get a result against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, although this wasn’t Chelsea’s best performance in terms of hitting the mark with Maurizio Sarri’s famous Sarriball system.
To be honest, The Blues were fortunate on a few occasions in the first-half as City came agonisingly close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
Nevertheless, it was a top performance from Chelsea, and a few players were visibly exceptional and deserve some extra credit. So in no particular order, here are 5 Chelsea players who deserve the credit for this memorable win.
#1 N’Golo Kante
Kante is making strides in his new position
The Frenchman’s playing position has been debated extensively over the last month or so, and though he’s probably better off as a traditional holding midfielder, N’Golo Kante is putting in the hard yards at any position he’s deployed.
Now, I’m not making any tall claims here about Kante’s offensive game, and we all know that the Frenchman’s strong suit is his defensive game. But what Kante has that most players don’t is a strong determination to give his all for his team.
He worked hard, he won balls in crucial areas, he made some key forward passes, and most importantly, he put Chelsea in the lead with a sumptuous strike after a perfectly timed run to meet Eden Hazard’s brilliant pass.
What was particularly refreshing to see was that while defending, Chelsea almost reverted to a midfield five with Willian and Pedro dropping deep. This gave Kante space, and the opportunity to play close to Jorginho and do what he does best, intercept the ball for his teammates.
The Frenchman is slowly but surely becoming a more all-round midfielder, and it’s his uncanny ability to be the ultimate team-player that is helping him get there.
#2 Cesar Azpilicueta
Azpilicueta stopping Leroy Sane from Scoring an almost certain goal
Chelsea’s Mr Dependable led from the front and showed us just how good he can be. Azpilicueta presented himself as Chelsea’s ‘get out of jail card’ on multiple occasions, and the Spaniard once again reasserted his position as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
Azpilicueta prior to this game put in a string of average performances, having been reverted to a right-back after playing as a center-back for 2 seasons under Antonio Conte. ‘Dave’ as the Chelsea fans affectionately call him, has proven time and again that he is just as effective playing anywhere across the backline.
Azpilicueta completed 13 tackles against Manchester City, the most made by any Chelsea player since N’Golo Kante completed 14 tackles against Liverpool in 2017. An exceptionally consistent player, and now he’s proving his mettle as captain as well.
#3 David Luiz
Luiz scored an exceptional header to wrap the game up
The last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster ride for David Luiz. From being responsible for conceding all 3 goals against Tottenham, to putting in a fantastic shift and scoring the winner against Manchester City.
David Luiz has been one of Chelsea’s most inconsistent defenders this season, and has shockingly been responsible for over 50 percent of the goals Chelsea have conceded this season, playing a part in 7 of the 13 goals conceded by Maurizio Sarri’s side. Critics and pundits called for Andreas Christensen to replace the Brazilian, but Luiz has proved to be Chelsea’s big match player once again.
It was Luiz’s lob pass to Pedro which kicked off the counterattack that eventually led to Chelsea’s first goal, and the Brazilian was also solid defensively, holding his shape. Most importantly, Luiz scored an amazing header to wrap the game up for The Blues.
#4 Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa has been impressive for The Blues
Chelsea’s record signing arrived in the summer for £71.6 Million from Athletic Bilbao, making him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. The Spaniard despite the price tag has been impressive, making some key saves for The Blues.
The Spaniard had a busy first 20 minutes, with Manchester City often flooding Chelsea’s box and threatening to score. He was vocal, organised, and seemed immensely confident in his abilities.
He got an important touch off Leroy Sane’s early attempt, made a strong save when he kept out Kyle Walker’s curling second-half free-kick, and in the dying minutes of the game misplaced a pass to Gundogan, but he effectively made up for his error with an amazing save to keep Gabriel Jesus from ruining his clean sheet.
Arrizabalaga is slowly making his name as one of the best keepers in the league, and so far has barely put a foot wrong.
#5 Eden Hazard
Hazard was a thorn for Manchester City
He may not have gotten on the scoresheet since October, but Eden Hazard stepped up as creator-in-chief, assisting both of Chelsea’s goals to commemorate a memorable win.
Chelsea needed a big performance from a player to pull through against Manchester City, and ‘Cometh the Moment Cometh the Man’. Eden Hazard arrived for Chelsea when they needed it the most, as the Belgian set up N’Golo Kante with a well-timed ball which pierced Manchester City’s defence, and followed it up with a sensational corner to pick out David Luiz to eventually kill the game off.
Hazard also made some key dribbles and always kept City’s defenders on their toes. It’s a well-known fact that Hazard prefers playing on the wing, and isn’t a natural centre forward. But how good was that performance? Playing Eden Hazard on the wing is always a better option, but against the big teams, he can play through the centre and really be Chelsea’s trump card.
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