Football Features

    Giroud stakes his claim: Full player ratings as Chelsea earn vital win over Spurs

    By Ollie Thomas

    Published: 14:47, 22 February 2020

    It was an afternoon for Chelsea’s forgotten men as they clinched a valuable win over rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the hunt for a Champions League spot.

    Olivier Giroud opened the scoring with a wonderfully taken half-volley after Barkley hit the post, before the English midfielder set up Alonso in the second half to score the winner. Antonio Rudger’s late own goal was a mere consolation for Spurs on yet another miserable return to west London for Jose Mourinho

    Here’s how the players rated at Stamford Bridge:

    Chelsea

    Willy Caballero – 6 – Steady. Didn’t have masses to do but dealt with everything well – although he was nearly caught out by Tanganga in the first half.

    Reece James – 7 – How have England managed to produce so many quality right-backs? James defended and attacked like a seasoned Premier League player. Oozes confidence and quality alike.

    Cesar Azpilicueta – 7 – Looks far more comfortable playing in a back three. Made an important block in the first half from Moura and managed more interceptions (five) than any of his team-mates.

    Andreas Christensen – 7 – Starting to establish himself under Lampard after his career appeared to be stagnating. Played with maturity and assurance as Chelsea’s middle centre-half today.

    Antonio Rudiger – 6 – Will get credited with an own goal which was extremely unlucky. Probably the least impressive of Lampard’s back three.

    Marcos Alonso – 8 – There are very few left wing-backs in the Premier League better than Alonso and he showed why again today. He has a wand of a left foot and took his goal brilliantly. A constant threat down the left and nearly capped it off with a lovely free-kick towards the end, only to be denied by the post.

    Jorginho – 8 – His pass to Giroud in the build-up to the opener was beautiful. He and Kovacic bossed the midfield today – it’s amazing to think that N’Golo Kante may not even be in Chelsea’s strongest line-up.

    Mateo Kovacic – 9 – His ball-carrying is so valuable in the middle. A powerhouse of a midfielder who any manager would want on their team. Has gone from a decent squad player to one of the most valuable members of Chelsea’s team. An unbelievable display.

    Mason Mount – 7 – Played like he knew how much today meant to Chelsea, something which always goes down well with fans. Relentlessly harassed Spurs when they had the ball in their own half and contributed heavily to Chelsea’s winner.

    Ross Barkley – 7 – Not many expected him to start today but he justified Frank’s selection. Played a big role in both goals and, like Mount, showed energy that is valuable in derbies such as this.

    Olivier Giroud – 9 – You can’t help but feel for Giroud. Clearly not one of Lampard’s favourites, he was thrust in today out of necessity rather than choice. He was outstanding. His link-up play is world-class and he finished his goal magnificently. A striker of his pedigree does not deserve to spend his time sitting on the bench. He’s better than that.

    Substitutes:

    Tammy Abraham (for Giroud 70) – 6 – Worked hard after coming on and was only denied a goal by some great goalkeeping.

    Willian (for Barkley 76) – 5 – Came on to help see the game out.

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    Tottenham Hotspur

    Hugo Lloris – 7 – Made a number of important saves but was tested more than he would have liked. Undone by two excellent finishes.

    Japhet Tanganga – 5 – Best way to sum up his day was that Spurs clearly missed Serge Aurier. Didn’t hit the heights he has done in recent weeks.

    Davinson Sanchez – 6 – Starting to show more consistency at the back and seems to have a future in Spurs’ defence. The back three wasn’t the problem for Mourinho today.

    Toby Alderweireld – 6 – Steady. Played a wonderful pass which nearly led to a Tanganga chance in the first half and battled hard with Giroud.

    Jan Vertonghen – 6 – Didn’t do much wrong throughout the game. Maybe a little slow to react for Giroud’s opener but that’s perhaps a little harsh.

    Ben Davies – 4 – There was a period where Davies was flying for Spurs a few years ago, but now he just looks out of his depth. Offers nothing going forward and is average at best defensively. Is only still in the team because he’s the only left-back at Spurs.

    Tanguy Ndombele – 5 – Played with a lot of purpose but failed to make anything happen. Taken off early as a fitness precaution.

    Harry Winks – 5 – Part of a midfield which was totally dominated from start to finish. Looked a little lost at times but never stopped running and put in a huge shift.

    Giovani Lo Celso – 6 – How VAR can admit that he should have been sent off after spending a minute or so reviewing the incident is totally beyond us. Aside from that, he worked hard in midfield and showed that his defensive abilities can be just as important as his offensive ones.

    Steven Bergwijn – 5 – Did very little. Whilst Son and Kane are out, it is going to be hard work for Spurs’ attacking players. He had nearly no support going forward and didn’t create much for himself.

    Lucas Moura – 6 – By far Spurs’ biggest threat, was the only forward to really test Caballero and often acted alone in testing Chelsea’s defence. A solid effort and played a big role in Spurs’ late consolation.

    Substitutes:

    Erik Lamela (for Ndombele 62′) – 6 – Did what was expected of him. Added some bite to the game and created Spurs’ late goal.

    Dele Alli (for Bergwijn 77) – 5 – Wasn’t given enough time to make his mark on the game.

    Serge Aurier (for Alderweireld 77) – 5 – Probably should have started the game.

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