ISL 2017/18, Match 58: Kerala Blasters FC vs Delhi Dynamos FC, Player Ratings

Match 58 of the Indian Super League saw Kerala Blasters FC hosted Delhi Dynamos FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, Kerala.

The two sides began the game from the lower half of the table as Kerala Blasters stood seventh in the ISL standings with a tally of 14 points from their twelve matches so far. Delhi Dynamos FC lay on the bottom of the table with just seven points from their eleven matches as their struggles continued this season.

Kerala Blasters FC produced a resilient performance as they banked on youngster Deependra Singh Negi's sparkling debut performance to grab the three points. Kalu Uche had put the Delhi side ahead with a penalty in the first half. Negi came on in the second half and turned the game around with a goal and earned the decisive penalty that was scored by Hume.

This win propelled Kerala Blasters FC into the top 5 of the standings with 17 points from their thirteen matches.

Kerala Blasters FC

Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (6.5/10) - Subhasish produced a superb save in the first half when he kept out a deflection from Mirabaje's shot from outside the box. He was confident in his collections in the second half and wasn't called into action many times as Kerala asserted control.

Lalruatthara (7/10) - The former Delhi Dynamos man who plays usually as left-back in the defence was used as right-back by the home side due to Rino Anto's absence. He proved his versatility for the Kerala side as he had a good outing tonight keeping the Delhi attackers away.

Wes Brown (7.5/10) - The former Manchester United man was a calm presence in the Kerala defence as he kept Kalu Uche in check for most of the match. He was good in the air and made crucial clearances to keep the Kerala goal safe after the Uche penalty in the first half.

Sandesh Jhingan (7/10) - The Kerala skipper had a tough day in defence as he was kept on his toes by the dynamic Lallianzuala Chhangte. He was strong in his tackles and clearances like he generally is, and did well for the home side in the second half.

Jackichand Singh (6.6/10) - The pacy winger was used as the left-back by David James as Lalruatthara moved to the right flank. Singh made a lot of overlapping runs as Kerala attacked after going down and he was also assigned corner duties for the match tonight.

Courage Pekuson (6.5/10) - The Ghanaian played behind the attackers for the home side and did well to keep the ball moving as Kerala attacked the Delhi goal. He kept finding good runs by Hume and Vineeth ahead of him.

Milan Singh (6/10) - Milan Singh played in the defensive midfield and was a lively presence for the Blasters with his ground coverage. Singh had a couple of long-range efforts at the Delhi goal and came very close to scoring.

Prasanth K (5.5/10) - The youngster had a troubled first half as he was unable to make many inroads into the Delhi half from the right flank. He gave away the penalty when he brought down Seityasen Singh in the box.

Karan Sawhney (4.5/10) - Sawhney, who is generally used as the lone striker ahead played in the central midfield, behind Pekuson and Milan Singh. He wasn't very effective in keeping the Delhi midfielders in check and was replaced at the start of the second half by youngster Deependra Negi.

Iain Hume (7.5/10) - The Canadian striker was the engine for the Kerala side as he kept making good runs through the centre and was the point man in the attack for Kerala. He secured the lead for the home side when he scored the penalty for the Blasters in the 75th minute.

CK Vineeth (7/10) - The Kerala crowd favourite put in another industrious shift in the attack as he kept the Delhi defence occupied with his movement and presence. Vineeth gave it all for his side on the pitch and was later replaced in the 77th minute by Loken Meitei.

Substitutes:

Deependra Negi (8/10) - The youngster came on for this first appearance of the season as he replaced Karan Sawhney at the start of the second season. He proved to be a great change as he scored from his first touch when he scored from the corner to make it all square in the match.

Guðjón Baldvinsson (5.5/10) - The former Iceland international made his debut today as he replaced Prashanth in the 66th minute. Baldvinsson had a couple of shots at the goal as he made an encouraging debut appearance for the home side.

Loken Meitei (4.5/10) - The youngster Meitei came on in the 77th minute of the match as he replaced C.K. Vineeth as Kerala looked to hold on to their lead in the match.

Delhi Dynamos FC

Lallianzuala Chhangte was one of the best performers for Delhi. (Photo: ISL)

Arnab Das Sharma (6/10) - The Delhi custodian had a decent outing in the match despite being beaten twice in the second half. Sharma made a couple of good saves that kept out efforts from the Kerala attackers.

Pritam Kotal (4/10) - Pritam Kotal, the Indian international right-back, was injured in the first ten minutes of the match. He was replaced a few minutes later after receiving some treatment.

Pratik Chowdhary (5/10) - Pratik Chowdhary had a poor outing as the Delhi defence struggled to keep the Kerala charge in check. Chowdhary's night ended on a bad note as he was sent off for a rough challenge on Baldvinsson in the final minutes of the match.

Gabriel Cichero (5.5/10) - Gabriel Cichero was kept busy on the night by the Kerala defence as Iain Hume and Vineeth troubled the Delhi defence with their movement. Cichero was tough in his tackles on the pitch and was booked by the referee in the first half.

Munmun Lugun (5.5/10) - The left-back for the away side was decent as he was busy on the flanks for Delhi. He made a lot of runs on the wings and put in some good crosses for the attack and fell back to defend as well.

Paulinho Dias (6/10) - The Brazilian defensive midfielder had a busy night in the middle of the park as Kerala attacked with full intent after Delhi had taken the lead in the match. He played the first line of defence for the Dynamos and tried his best to break up Kerala plays.

Matias Mirabaje (6/10) - Uruguayan Mirabaje was the main creative source for the Delhi Dynamos side as he operated from central midfield for the visitors. He kept looking for good runs from attackers ahead of him and put in some good through balls as well.

Romeo Fernandes (5.5/10) - Romeo Fernandes played on the right wing for Delhi but was quiet compared to his usual standards. The Goan made a couple of inroads into the Kerala box but was generally kept in check by the Kerala defenders.

Lallianzuala Chhangte (7/10) - Chhangte was a livewire in the Delhi midfield as he led the attack and kept the Kerala defenders on their toes. He made a lot of runs through the centre and created good opportunities for the away side.

Seityasen Singh (6/10) - Seityasen Singh who started a game after some time in the league was active in the midfield and earned the penalty for Delhi in the first half.

Kalu Uche (7.5/10) - The Delhi skipper scored from the penalty spot in the first half giving the visitors the lead with a well-taken penalty into the top right corner. He was beaten to the ball by Negi in the second half when Delhi conceded from the corner. Uche was the target man for Delhi in attack but was handled well by the Kerala defence tonight.

Substitutes:

Mohd Sajid Dhot (5/10) - The youngster came on to replace Pritam Kotal in the 18th minute and made his debut in the Indian Super League. He was up against C.K Vineeth and did his best to keep the Kerala boy from scoring.

Nandhakumar Sekar (5/10) - The left-winger, who did not start owing to slight injury concerns before the match, came on at the hour mark to boost the Delhi attack.

Jeroen Lumu (4.5/10) - Lumu was put on by Miguel Portugal to add fresh legs to the Delhi side when he replaced Seityasen Singh in the attack.