Chelsea 4-2 Swansea City: Chelsea Player Ratings [Part-2]

Matic: 6.5/10

Matic had a decent game, but he was put to shame by a spirited Routledge in the build-up to the first goal, as he was shaken up and dispossessed when he casually sprinted with the ball. Matic didn’t have enough space early on in the game, but as the match progressed, he started finding his rhythm with Fabregas in the heart of the midfield.

Matic offers a key defensive presence in the midfield as he sits in front of the back four and dominates the area physically as well as technically. When most of the players are attacking forward, Matic does well to find a long pass to a wide player or any other attacker. He benefited when the energetic Ramires entered the play.

Fabregas: 9/10

Early on in the match, he wasn’t getting the ball too often, and Chelsea’s shape was a bit awkward to hold possession. But, once the game progressed with Hazard, Oscar, and Costa running riots in offensive areas, Fabregas’ playmaking ability started to show.

He was shifted to the central attacking midfield, behind Costa, and he was provided extra protection with Ramires playing the box-to-box role. He chipped up with two assists in the match, one with a corner, which Costa nodded home, and the other with a very beautiful combination play with Hazard to cut back for Costa.

Oscar: 9/10

He was an absolute beast today. He works very hard and excellently in the attacking third. It looks as if Costa’s presence has encouraged him to get back to some of his best form, and he has shown clear signs of maturing into a top-class attacking player.

He was the one who was closing down Swansea defenders consistently and was pushed to the right wing when Ramires was brought in for Schurrle. He was constantly keeping track of the Swansea left-back Taylor, who was dominating before, and he clearly got very influential as he linked with Hazard and Fabregas.

Schurrle: 5/10

He was not in his element today. The World Cup-winning German was out of sync in today’s match as he didn’t find his rhythm. He was struggling on the right wing as the impressive Taylor was pushing him on his weaker left foot (something that isn’t too weak!).

Schurrle didn’t find the space he would’ve liked and was non-effective in tracking Taylor’s overlapping runs. Schurrle probably was more off-color because Chelsea weren’t pressing Swansea players.

Hazard: 9.5/10

Wow! Eden Hazard was just “wow”! He was running at a crazy pace and making mazy runs through the Swansea defence. He was the one who inspired the sluggish Chelsea team back to life. Hazard was the one pulled over by Mourinho and was instructed to do something inspirational, which resulted in Hazard running riot.

He didn’t bag a goal or an assist but was a key player in almost all the build-ups to the goals and was constantly a menace for the fullbacks and the center backs when he cut in at pace. With central defenders already having to deal with a rampant Diego Costa, Hazard’s influence is bound to increase.

Costa: 10/10

Diego Costa has been an absolute hit. He scored a hat-trick today, effectively winning the game for the Blues. He was at his aggressive best, harrying and hassling the defenders and tearing them into pieces with his power. His positioning sense was divine as he bagged three wonderfully created goals, which are classic “Centre Forward” goals.

His poaching has always been top-class, but he also worked extremely hard without the ball. He was a constant menace for the Swans and had a lot of influence from the wider forward areas as well. We are sure that the Blues have found an exceptional striker who has now bagged an incredible seven goals in four games.

Substitutes:

Ramires: 8/10

His influence was great as he brought pace and work rate to midfield, giving Cesc Fabregas a lot of protection. His presence immediately made Chelsea a stronger force to match the quickness of the Swans. He also bagged a cool assist as Costa scored his third.

Remy: 9/10

Remy did his job as a substitute exceptionally well, as he bagged a wonderful goal from Oscar’s pass. Scoring on debut, especially when he is substituting a striker who has scored a hattrick, is not easy, as people immediately start drawing comparisons. Remy’s was the most beautiful goal of the match, as he was clinical in front of goal. Chelsea strikers are finally finding some rhythm.

Salah: N/A

Salah didn’t spend a lot of time in the middle to be rated. He did hassle the defenders with his pace and notably got one shot away, which was applauded by Jose Mourinho.