Chelsea were simply flawless in their 4-0 victory over Brentford at Stamford Bridge. The Blues enjoyed a very nice afternoon against the West London rivals as goals from Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi made the difference on this thrilling FA Cup fourth round tie.
Asmir Begovic and Ivanovic might be on their way out of the club but performances like these could turn their or manager Antonio Conte’s heads just as well. Nathan Ake made his first Chelsea appearance of the season, just like Kenedy who came on from the bench on the second half which confirmed he won’t be loaned out this month.
But, without further a due, here are the full player ratings from today’s 4-0 hammering over the Bees.
Starting Eleven:
Asmir Begovic – 8 – Wasn’t forced into action too well on the first half, but did a very good work to prevent Brentford from scoring in a few threatening chances later in the game. Could be off to Bournemouth or wherever he goes soon, but he’s been a great servant for the Blues during his time in here! Well earned clean-sheet.
Kurt Zouma – 8 – Seemed much better than he did against Peterborough three weeks ago. Solid at the back and produced some nice passes forward. Still maybe a bit fragile and slow due to the injury which kept him out for so long. Baby steps!
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8 – No more to be said than a great performance all-around. Consistent is his second name as it stands.
John Terry – 8 – Great intercepter of the ball today. Won several headers and barely put a foot wrong. Didn’t run into trouble like the last time he played, and a Chelsea fan’s eye never gets tired of seeing him guarding the Blues net.
Pedro – 9 – MOTM – His great goalscoring record at Stamford Bridge resumes with yet another great goal! Beautiful finish from Batshuayi’s through ball. Was full of energy and really seemed like the player he was back in Barcelona. Also was the key to the third Chelsea goal following a lovely assist for Ivanovic’s strike. Man of the Match!
Nathaniel Chalobah – 8 – Bossed the midfield just like expected. Great challenges and runs back and forth. Was booked near the end though with a late tackle and was near to give away a silly penalty when Chelsea already led by four. Will hopefully get more and more minutes following this performance!
Cesc Fabregas – 9 – Conductor of the team throughout the game. His world-class passes over the top of the defensive line were on point, and a performance like that surely impresses the boss ahead of the two tough fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal next week. Didn’t record an assist or score a goal, but is still a contender for the man of the match award.
Nathan Ake – 7 – Was surely a bit nervous to be making his first Chelsea outing since May 2015, but did very well indeed! He started on the left wing-back’s position, where he didn’t provide as much offensive support as Alonso maybe would, but was crucial defensively and won plenty of headers and interceptions. After Kenedy was subbed on late on the second half, the Dutchman moved to the center-back’s role alongside John Terry – the position which he played during his spell at Bournemouth. He may have fitted a bit better in there, and there will surely be a big competition for the role between him and Zouma when the season resumes.
Willian – 9 – If there could be two man of the match awards, he’d be collecting the second! A beautiful 2015-esque free-kick from the Brazilian to take Chelsea 1-0 up early in the first half wasn’t it all in his great performance tonight. He made some superb, strong runs in midfield and with a better ending-product from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Michy Batshuayi, he could’ve got himself an assist or two along the way. Nevertheless, a brilliant performance. Exciting to see whether it’s he or Pedro on the starting sheet for Liverpool on Tuesday…
Michy Batshuayi – 9 – Good movement, great assist to tie up Pedro for Chelsea’s second goal, but his finishing was not really on point in front of the net. He did however finish off the penalty which Ivanovic earned for the team, and that will be a big boost for his confidence! Has to work on his take-ons, as he very often got into similar positions as Costa would, but what Costa would do in those chances is get past the defender and then hit a shot on goal. For Batshuayi, that’s still under development.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 8 – So many good runs, strong dribbles and lovely energy, but just like with Batshuayi, the shots could’ve been more on point. Had a great long range effort saved, a one-on-one saved, and another similar chance tipped over via the crossbar on the second. Unlucky for the youngster on those cases, but he sure needed those 90 minutes today!
Subs:
Branislav Ivanovic – 9 – Even though he only got to play around half an hour of the match, he did everything he could in that time for the team. Not only was he a great addition to the back-line to stop Brentford from their threatening attacks, but he also went all the way to score Chelsea’s third goal and then earn the team a penalty which was well slotted in by Batshuayi. If he’s going to leave for Zenit in the meantime, he’ll be missed since the performances he’s delivered for us during his nine years at the club have been top class, and there are many things to remember him from. A real cult hero!
Kenedy – 6 – After Ivanovic’s goal Conte quickly reacted and subbed on Kenedy, who took his place from the left wing-back’s role. Poor playing time this season has surely rust his ligaments a bit, but it was important for him to come on for the rough 20 minutes. Hadn’t much to do but was close to get a shot on goal from Costa’s good build-up.
Diego Costa – 6 – Replaced Pedro for the final 15 minutes and got to celebrate Batshuayi’s 4-0 goal from the spot. Didn’t have time for much else than that and a header wide off the post.
