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Chelsea and Sevilla both entered their UEFA Champions League campaign slightly deflated after dropping points against Southampton and Getafe respectively. Both teams have been tipped to qualify for the knock-out stages from Group E but had to settle for one point each after playing out a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The first half was a very drab affair, as Chelsea limited Sevilla's chances but struggled to create anything meaningful going forward. Both teams created some decent half-chances but never really came close.
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The second half, though, was more open and it was the home side that did most of the attacking in the initial phase. However, the attacking threat from both sides died soon, as they shared the spoils after a tightly-fought encounter.
Keeping all that in mind, here are the hits and flops from the game.
#5 HIT: Edouard Mendy
It was another solid performance by Chelsea's new goalkeeper, who did not put a foot wrong in the whole game. Yes, he had very little to do, but Mendy did make a tricky early save to deny Nemanja Gudelj. The 28-year old was convincing while collecting crosses and his distribution was good. Mendy also made a decent stop from Ocampos just before the first half ended.
Counting the 4-0 win against Crystal Palace, Mendy now has back-to-back clean sheets since joining Chelsea. It was a strong performance from the Senegalese star, who gave the Chelsea backline some much-needed confidence.
#4 FLOP: Timo Werner
It is kind of harsh to call Werner a flop because cagey games such as these don't really have terrible performers as such. The German international was full of running and tried to get behind the Sevilla back-line whenever he got a chance.
Werner got a half-chance on the stroke of half-time, but the striker scuffed his shot as the ball bounced in front of him. The 24-year old struggled to keep the ball under intense pressure and phased out as the game went on. He missed a couple of half-chances and had a few optimistic cracks at the goal, but couldn't really test Bono between the sticks for Sevilla.
Also check out: Complete Champions League Results and live scores 2020/21
#3 HIT: Lucas Ocampos
Lucas Ocampos has been Sevilla's best players for over a year now and performance at Stamford Bridge was another example of his talent. The Argentine played in different positions for 90 minutes and was a threat to Reece James and Ben Chilwell whenever he switched flanks. While Sevilla didn't attack much, Ocampos was involved in most of their moves and tried to make things happen for the away side.
The 26-year-old is an intelligent player who gets into some excellent attacking positions and is the talisman of this Sevilla team.
#2 FLOP: Christian Pulisic
As mentioned earlier, it is difficult to call someone a flop after such a cagey affair. That said, Christian Pulisic was not at his best against Sevilla and couldn't really have a positive impact on the game. The American star, who was Chelsea's most exciting player last season, had his work cut out against a very well drilled Sevilla side.
It is harsh to call Pulisic a flop because the 22-year old is just returning from an injury. He started the game on the right-wing instead of his preferred left, which lowered his attacking threat. The American had a bright phase at the start of the second half, but all-in-all, much more was expected from Chelsea's #10.
#1 HIT: Reece James
It was Chelsea youngster Reece James who was exceptional and caught the eye for his defensive work as well as his attacking threat. James almost found Timo Werner with a delightful long pass midway through the opening period. He ran down the right flank with purpose and was a problem for the Sevilla defenders throughout the game.
It is evident that the 20-year old has worked on his positional play and was clearly the best player on the pitch tonight. Chelsea have a massive talent and in James, who seems to have nailed down the right-back spot ahead of Cesar Azpilicueta.
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