Carabao Cup 2017/18; Chelsea 2-1 Everton: Player Ratings

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Willian celebrates after extending the lead for Chelsea

Goals from Antonio Rudiger and Willian helped Chelsea advance to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge.

The former Roma defender gave the Blues the lead in the opening period before Everton came on strong after the break. Willian looked to have settled things when he struck in second-half stoppage time, but an instant response from Dominic Calvert-Lewin set up a nervy finish.

Here's how the players rated on Wednesday night.

Chelsea

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

Willy Caballero - 8/10

Caballero made a number of good stops to deny Everton in the second half, including saves from Rooney and Jagielka. He did make a hash of a clearance which led to a good chance for the Toffees, but Caballero was generally solid.

Antonio Rudiger - 7/10

Rudiger opened the scoring with a looping header and was defensively solid for the most part, barring one or two questionable moments after the break.

Andreas Christensen - 7/10

Christensen was again assured in the heart of the three-man defence, reading the game well and passing the ball out from the back adeptly. Just like his team as a whole, the centre-back faded in the second half.

Gary Cahill - 6/10

Cahill looked a little uncomfortable on Wednesday, particularly when defending high up the ptich. He was central to Chelsea's build-up play at the back, though, making more passes than any of his team-mates.

Davide Zappacosta - 8/10

Zappacosta's rampaging runs and dangerous deliveries from the right flank were a key part of his team's attacking strategy. He was forced to do more defending in the second half but stood up to the task pretty well.

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

Ethan Ampadu - 8/10

The youngster looked composed and unflustered, showing a maturity belying his tender years. There were a couple of moments of naivety, but for the most part Ampadu was excellent.

Danny Drinkwater - 7/10

Making his long-awaited Chelsea debut following a summer move from Leicester, Drinkwater performed well. He used the ball smartly, switching the play from side to side, before departing after an hour.

Kenedy - 6/10

Kenedy looked a little tentative in an attacking sense, although he largely did his job defensively. It is still not clear whether he is suited to a left wing-back berth.

Willian - 7/10

Willian did not always use the ball well, but his counter-attacking pace was essential in the second half. He did brilliantly for his goal, collecting possession on the left, playing a one-two with Fabregas and firing home.

Michy Batshuayi - 6/10

Conte praised Batshuayi after this victory, but in truth, he had a mixed night. Some of his touches were loose and he should have done better with a chance in the second half, but his movement was much sharper than in his previous start against Crystal Palace.

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

Charly Musonda - 7/10

Musonda delivered a fine cross to the back post to set up Rudiger's headed goal. He had some other dangerous moments in the first half but struggled to get into the game in the second 45 minutes.

Substitutes:

Pedro - 6/10

Pedro provided another outlet on the counter-attack during his minutes on the pitch, as Chelsea tried to force Everton back into their own half.

Cesc Fabregas - 6/10

Fabregas did what was asked of him to an extent, helping Chelsea wrestle back a little bit of control in the closing stages. He was forced to defend as well as attack, though, and occasionally got bypassed in midfield.

Alvaro Morata - N/A

The striker came on with just five minutes left to play.

Everton

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

Jordan Pickford - 6/10

Pickford could do very little about either of Chelsea's goals, but the saves he made were generally straightforward. His distribution was not as reliable as usual.

Jonjoe Kenny - 7/10

Kenny was full of youthful endeavour and did enough to show he belongs in the first-team squad. He was a willing runner going forward but did not neglect his defensive duties.

Phil Jagielka - 7/10

Jagielka produced one of the moments of the match, racing back to deny Batshuayi with a tremendous goal-line tackle-cum-clearance. The veteran defender was also strong in the air on Wednesday.

Ashley Williams - 6/10

Williams struggled to contain Batshuayi early on, not knowing whether to match the striker's runs or pass him on to a team-mate. He did steady himself as time went on, however, although he looked uncomfortable when forced to defend higher up the pitch in the second half.

Leighton Baines - 6/10

Baines was pinned back by Zappacosta's surging runs in the first half, but he became more important after the interval. The left-back finished the game with a team-high four key passes.

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

Aaron Lennon - 6/10

Lennon spent much of the first half defending as Chelsea attacked relentlessly, before showcasing more of an attacking threat after the interval. He was at times a little hesitant in possession and did npt see as much of the ball as he would have liked.

James McCarthy - 6/10

McCarthy looked to push forward in support of Everton's attackers, while also remaining diligent in his defensive duties. His lack of pace on the turn proved problematic in transition, though.

Beni Baningime - 6/10

The youngster was thrown into the starting XI by David Unsworth, but there were several signs of rawness from Baningime. He was lucky to avoid punishment for a firm tackle in the second half, but did play some good passes.

Tom Davies - 7/10

Davies buzzed around midfield with typical energy and industry, traits Everton have been lacking in recent weeks. He was guilty of wastefulness in possession at times, but at least looked to move the ball forward.

Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Chelsea v Everton - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

Kevin Mirallas - 6/10

Mirallas was another Everton player handed a chance after a spell out of the team. He had a mixed evening, getting himself into some good positions but often failing to make the most of them.

Wayne Rooney - 6/10

Rooney was isolated for much of the first half as Everton struggled to get bodies forward in support. He was denied by Caballero after the break and showed some decent touches when linking up with team-mates.

Substitutes:

Ademola Lookman - 7/10

This was a lively cameo off the bench from Lookman, who hit the side-netting and then the crossbar with two shots.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin - 7/10

Calvert-Lewin put himself about after entering the fray and was rewarded when he pulled a goal back for the Toffees, demonstrating great feet and balance to control the ball and fire home.

Oumar Niasse - N/A

Niasse was introduced late in the game and did well to apply the pressure in the build-up to Everton's goal.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith
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