Stoke City 0 - 4 Chelsea: Player Ratings

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – JANUARY 12: David Luiz of Chelsea competes with Charlie Adam of Stoke City during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium on January 12, 2013, in Stoke-on-Trent, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

STOKE CITY

Asmir Begovic – 7Did an extremely good job in trying to keep his team in the game till the end. Made some fantastic saves with his foot, denying Lampard and Ba. Could really do nothing about the 4 goals that were put past him.

Geoff Cameron – 6.5Did manage to do his job reasonably well. Ventured forward many times to help in attack but lacked the final ball. Wasn’t given the easiest of times defensively against a rampant Hazard. Made some excellent blocks against him and Bertrand.

Robert Huth – 6.5Stuck to Demba Ba like a bad rash and was always in his face challenging for the ball and coming up top on most occasions. Was unfortunately penalized for giving away a penalty against Mata.

Ryan Shawcross – 6Worked with Huth to keep out Ba. Showed a true leader’s grit even when most hope was gone. Rose in the air against a very physical Ba and won the battle many times. Started fading away towards the end as Chelsea’s speed of play increased, but still managed to hold them off.

Andy Wilkinson – 5Didn’t show much attacking intent as he was constantly backpedaling to keep Hazard quiet. Was constantly beaten and Chelsea exploited his weaknesses many a time. He did make on hell of a challenge to deny Ramires an almost sure goal.

Glenn Whelan – 5Wasn’t an assuring presence in the middle as he was constantly caught out of possession and didn’t contribute defensively, with the opposition flying past him, especially in the second half. Made some very untidy passes and came out second best against Lampard.

Steven N’Zonzi – 6.5Had a reasonably good game against a ravenous trio of Lampard, Hazard and Ramires. Chased them all day long and pressed them hard to deny them from getting the ball up front. Made a brilliant attempt at goal in the second half, which could have made the game very interesting, had it gone in.

Charlie Adam – 6Actually managed to do Whelan’s job in midfield and was very effective going forward. Made some incisive passes and crosses but will be disappointed as none of them were finished. His presence reduced significantly in the second half as he was seen more in the defensive half. Was replaced by Whitehead with 20 minutes to go.

Jonathan Walters – 4.5At the end of the game you’ve got to feel sorry for the poor fellow, who’s celebrating his record breaking 72^nd consecutive league start for an outfield player. Scored two own goals and even managed to miss a penalty toward the end. He managed to get past Bertrand on a few occasions actually and put in some dangerous crosses, but just had “one of those days”

Mathew Etherington – 5.5Got past Azipilicueta a few times and did whip in some crosses but they didn’t have much of an effect. Tracked back to try to stifle Hazard but there really was no contest. Was replaced with 5 minutes to go.

Kenwyne Jones – 5With so many crosses whipped in from bith flanks one would expect the tall striker to create something out of at least a few of them but he failed to do so. Was constantly beaten in the air and put a shot wide which could have given Stoke the lead. Had no impact in the second half as Chelsea’s attack was just too potent. Was replaced by Jerome in the 78^th minute.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Cameron Jerome : 5.5Replaced Adam but had no better luck as he was constantly having to defend.

Dean Whitehead : N/ACame on in place of Etherington for 5 minutes.

Micheal Kightly : N/AReplaced Jones with 12 minutes left.

STOKE-ON-TRENT, ENGLAND – JANUARY 12: Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team

CHELSEA

Petr Cech – 6.5Returned from his injury and performed for the team when called upon. Did well to keep Stoke at bay during the first 15 minutes and made a very good save to deny N’Zonzi. Other than these, he was largely a spectator throughout the game.

Branislav Ivanovic – 7Had quite a job on his hand to keep Kenwyne Jones in check and did it very well. Recovered very well after his terrible show against Swansea. Didn’t move up much in attack but performed his defensive duties efficiently.

Ashley Cole – 6Was going up against Walters but often came up top as the attacker was in the process of self-implosion. Allowed Walters to easily get past him on two occasions but the central defense mopped it up easily.

David Luiz – 7Did his job admirably in the center of defense after returning from the more attacking role of the past few weeks. Handled Jones easily and worked well with Ivanovic to neutralize any threat.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 7Had a relatively easy day against a maligned Etherington and kept him in check most of the time. Bombed forward on a few occasions to assist Mata and Hazard and provided crosses. Came off with about 10 minutes remaining.

Ryan Bertrand – 6Was more in a withdrawn role and stealing the ball of Watlers. Probably could have contributed to the attack more but with such a star studded attack it wasn’t a necessity in the game.

Ramires – 6Showed a lot of energy to move around and assist Lampard but was too inconsistent on the ball. Was a bit shaky in the beginning as Chelsea where pressurized. But gradually came into the game and allowed Lampard to attack while he did the hard work.

Frank Lampard – 8What more must the man do to inherit a contract extension? A stellar performance in midfield, calmly pulling the strings, and was always available for a pass. Didn’t make much of an impact in the first half but gradually came into it. Played a beautiful long pass that allowed Mata to win the penalty which he dispatched in emphatic fashion. It would be a crime not to sign a player of this class.

Eden Hazard – 8.5A real livewire in Chelsea’s attack. Showed signs of his blistering form in the earlier part of the season. Used his speed to great effect and bamboozled the Stoke defense. Played an important role in the opening goal and blasted home a 25 yard screamer to cap of a true man of the match performance.

Juan Mata – 7Wasn’t the usual performance from the Spaniard. Won a penalty which Lampard dispatched. Was involved in most of the play and kept it tidy. Was replaced by Terry with 12 minutes to go.

Demba Ba – 6.5We can easily see Ba being the main striker with performances like the one he showed. Was a constant threat and brought the other players in whenever he could as he was constantly marked. Forced a save of Begovic and also created a chance for Cole. Subbed off with 20 minutes to go.

SUBSTITUTES

Paulo Ferreira : N/ACame on with 8 minutes to play.

John Terry : 5Returned after 2 months out with an injury. Didn’t have the most comfortable of times and gave away a penalty by tripping Walters. Probably not up to full fitness yet but should be able to get there with time.

Fernando Torres : 6With 20 minutes of game time he was mostly getting in the way of an inspired attack led by Lampard and Hazard. Really didn’t do much else.