“He’s in the form of his life right now” – Player ratings as Chelsea destroy Juventus in the Champions League
Chelsea jumped to the top of Champions League Group H with a dominant 4-0 win over Juventus at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
The Blues went into the game three points behind the Old Lady but knew a win by two goals or more would overhaul their Italian counterparts heading into the final round of games.
Trevoh Chalobah got things going with a powerful effort inside the box in the 25th minute, while the excellent Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi made it 3-0 after the break, all before the hour mark. The demolition was completed by Timo Werner with the final kick of the ball.
Chelsea 4-0 Juventus FT:
⚽️ Trevoh Chalobah
⚽️ Reece James
⚽️ Callum Hudson-Odoi
⚽️ Timo WernerThomas Tuchel's side take top spot in Group H. #UCL pic.twitter.com/6ndcd0G03M
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) November 23, 2021
In truth, Chelsea looked leagues ahead of Juventus, with Thomas Tuchel’s men often pulling Max Allegri’s charges around on strings.
Here is how every player rated on an easy night at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea:
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy – 6 – Did most of what he had to do comfortably enough, although he was helped massively by Thiago Silva’s wonderful goalline clearance in the first half.
Trevoh Chalobah – 8 – Composed and dominant at the back, and lashed home his first-ever Champions League goal in style to get the ball rolling for Chelsea.
Thiago Silva – 8 – Put his foot to the floor to make a vital goalline clearance just after Chelsea had taken the lead, showing pace few 37-year-olds are capable of, let alone a centre-back.
Antonio Rudiger – 8 – A little fortunate to be credited with an assist for the opening goal given it came off his hand, but it was an assist all the same. Solid defensively and played a brilliant switch to James in the build-up to the third goal.
Reece James – 9 – Denied a spectacular goal by Szczesny in the first half but then scored from a similar chance after the break, controlling expertly before lashing the ball into the far corner. Played his part in the third goal with some more wonderful control in the box. James is in the form of his life right now.
Reece James has now scored more goals (5) than any other Chelsea player so far this season.
Another Reece ROCKET. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/CHwcAAf2eI
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 23, 2021
N’Golo Kante – 6 – Was secure in possession and busy without it as usual, but had to come off late in the first half. Hopefully just a precaution with a clash against Man Utd coming up this weekend.
Jorginho – 7 – His aggressive ball-winning set Chelsea off for goal number three, turning over possession deep inside the Juventus half. Composed and precise with the ball, as always.
Ben Chilwell – 6 – Didn’t have as much freedom going forward as James but played his part nonetheless. Hopefully, that injury that forced him off on 72 minutes isn’t too serious.
Hakim Ziyech – 7 – Not everything he tried came off, but was a constant threat to the Juventus backline. Always tried to create and never let his head drop if his passes didn’t connect. Finally got his assist right at the end.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 8 – His speed and direct running terrified the ageing left side of Juve’s defence. A great night’s work was rewarded with a goal on 58 minutes to wrap things up for the Blues.
25' ⚽️ Trevoh Chalobah
55' ⚽️ Reece James
58' ⚽️ Callum Hudson-OdoiCobham 3-0 Juventus. #UCL
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) November 23, 2021
Christian Pulisic – 5 – Made some dangerous runs but never really got into things playing in an unfamiliar No.9 role.
Substitutes:
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for N’golo Kante, 37 mins) – 7 – Looked dangerous from the bench and got himself an assist for Hudson-Odoi’s goal.
Timo Werner (for Pulisic, 72 mins) – 7 – Set Ziyech up for a late chance and put in plenty of yards to re-energize the Chelsea forward line. Rewarded with a goal right at the end.
Cesar Azpilicueta (for Ben Chilwell, 72 mins) – 6 – Had precious little to do from the bench.
Mason Mount (for Hudson-Odoi, 76 mins) – 5 – Barely had a touch of the ball.
Saul (for Jorginho, 76 mins) – 6 – Had an easy cameo at the base of Chelsea’s midfield as Juventus ran out of steam.
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Juventus
Wojciech Szczęsny – 6 – Made a good save to deny James in the first half, can’t really be blamed too much for any of the Chelsea goals. Would have been a bigger scoreline if not for his efforts.
Juan Cuadrado – 5 – Was promising but faded as the game went on. The yellow card he received in the 23rd minute seemed to quickly put a lid on his performance.
Leonardo Bonucci – 6 – Looked all at sea, but only as a result of having to put out fires all around him. Overworked.
Matthijs de Ligt – 5 – Couldn’t cope with Chelsea’s relentless attack and was never given time to settle into his passing rhythm.
Alex Sandro – 4 – Never got to grips with James’ driving runs down the Juventus left and seemed unsettled on the ball. Not the Brazilian’s best night at all.
Weston McKennie – 6 – Was one of the few Juventus players who seemed able to stem the tide of Chelsea attacks. Made five recoveries, four tackles and four interceptions, just a shame his energy was expended on defending. Came close with a half-volley in the final seven minutes. A decent individual night went sour with a mistake for Chelsea’s fourth goal, perhaps the result of tiredness from all the work he had to put in for those around him?
Feel bad for Weston McKennie
88% pass comp, 4 tackles, 5 recoveries, 4 interceptions, came close with an effort near the end
But given no help by a terrible Juventus team. Had to expend too much energy defending. Misery compounded by that mistake at the end#UCL #CHEJUV #USMNT
— Chris Smith (@Chris_SXI) November 23, 2021
Rodrigo Bentancur – 3 – Absolutely swamped in midfield and couldn’t cope with Chelsea’s pressure. Was almost punished for holding onto the ball too long in the second half, only for Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi to make a mess of things.
Manuel Locatelli – 5 – Was definitely the better of the two starting central midfielders for Juventus, but there was only so much he could do next to the calamitous Bentancur.
Adrien Rabiot – 4 – An absent performance from Rabiot, who offered little at either end.
Federico Chiesa – 4 – For such a talented player, Chiesa was a no show here. Didn’t even attempt a single shot.
Alvaro Morata – 5 – Thought he’d drawn Juventus level but Thiago Silva said no. Did his best to battle against the Chelsea backline with little reward.
Substitutes:
Paulo Dybala (for Bentancur, 60 mins) – 4 – Brought on to liven things up in the final third but barely got involved.
Arthur (for Locatelli, 68 mins) – 5 – Did little to improve the Juventus midfield.
Moise Kean (for Morata, 68 mins) – 4 – Barely touched the ball.
Dejan Kulusevski (for Chiesa, 80 mins) – 5 – Not enough time to change the game.
Koni De Winter (for Cuadrado, 80 mins) – 5 – Looked composed on the ball. Not an ideal situation to come into, but some valuable Champions League minutes for the teenager.
