5 players who have kept Chelsea in the title race over the festive period

Chelsea’s Premier League title challenge stepped up a gear over the festive period as they went an impressive four games unbeaten, with three wins in a row following on the back of a 0-0 draw at Arsenal.

All told, the Blues kept three clean sheets in those four games, with their sterling defensive work the bedrock for taking 10 points from an available 12, leaving them now sitting in third place in the table, two points off leaders Arsenal.

A team effort with plenty of squad rotation over the busy period it might have been, but who were the stand-out performers over that period? Here are Chelsea’s top five players over that four-game streak, ranked by Performance Score.

5. Gary Cahill

Centre-back Gary Cahill racked up a Performance Score of 84 after featuring in three of the games, sitting out only the win over Swansea.

He won at least 60% of his duels in every game he played in during that time, making eight defensive actions—incorporating blocks, interceptions and clearances—in the first two games and an impressive 10 against Southampton. Cahill’s passing accuracy also peaked at 91% against Liverpool, while two of the four chances he has created this season came over the festive period.

4. Branislav Ivanovic

Unsurprisingly, given their three clean sheets in four games, Chelsea’s defensive players feature heavily in the top five.

Right-back Branislav Ivanovic managed a Performance Score of 87 after starting the first three games, though he went off injured shortly into the match against Liverpool.

The Serbian’s score was boosted by an impressive performance against Swansea City, where an all-action display saw him win a whopping 10 of his 12 headed duels, make six clearances and one interception and complete 30 of his 38 passes.

3. John Terry

John Terry has played 90 minutes of every league game this season for Chelsea, including over the festive period, where he accumulated a Performance Score of 95.

Over those four games, Terry actually exceeded his season-long average of defensive actions, making 9.5 per game on average—peaking at 12 against Southampton. He also won 67% of his duels against both Arsenal and Swansea, significantly aiding in the two clean sheets attained in those matches.

His one negative was a defensive error against Southampton which led to a shot on goal—but the clean sheet was ably preserved by the man who finished one place above him.

2. Petr Cech

Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Cech similarly played every game, totalling a Performance Score of 97 over the Christmas period.

The Czech stopper’s three clean sheets take him to a total of seven for the season, while his impressive consistency this term has led to an average claim percentage (of crosses, high balls) of 98%. Even that average was surpassed over the festive fixtures though as Cech weighed in with four consecutive 100% takes.

He made one save in three of the games and two against Liverpool, though his total distribution success failed to rise above 31% in any match, an area for improvement perhaps.

1. Eden Hazard

Top of the charts for Chelsea was the only attacking member of the squad to feature in the top five: Eden Hazard, who recorded a huge Performance Score of 136.

The Belgian started all four games, being substituted in the latter stages of three of them, and weighed in with goals against Swansea and Liverpool to help his team pick up vital points and victories.

He also created a total of nine chances for his team-mates in those four games, with an assist coming against Southampton. Hazard completed 15 from 26 attempted take-ons during those games, with his highest success of five completed coming against the Saints. Hazard proved himself a vital part of Chelsea’s starting XI once more over the festive period and if he can show similar consistency over the remainder of the campaign, he could well push the team closer to title glory.