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Football London
Football London
Sport
Adam Newson

Chelsea player ratings vs Arsenal: Christensen costly, Sarr poor, Mount and Werner show fight

Edouard Mendy

Chelsea's goalkeeper was beaten four times at Stamford Bridge this evening, but he could do little about any of the Arsenal goals as the defenders in front of the Senegal international left him exposed. 6

Reece James

After dominant back-to-back displays on the right of the back three, it was no surprise that James continued in the position. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite able to hit the same heights as against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace – perhaps that is because he was in a backline that contained Andreas Christensen and Malang Sarr rather than Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.

James wasn't directly at fault for any of Arsenal's three goals, but he did become more imposing after being moved to right wing-back shortly after the hour mark. He immediately fashioned a chance that Marcos Alonso almost made the most of. 5

Andreas Christensen

After a strong performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, Christensen was trusted in the heart of the back three by Tuchel once more. On this occasion, it didn't pay off.

The Dane was at fault for Arsenal's opener as his under-hit pass allowed Eddie Nketiah to race through and score and the Arsenal forward later robbed Christensen of possession on the halfway line, much to the frustration of the home supporters. He was brought off at halftime for Thiago Silva as Tuchel attempted to refocus his defence. 4

Malang Sarr

With Antonio Rudiger ruled out through injury, Tuchel opted to pick Sarr on the left of his back three. It was the Frenchman's first appearance in the Premier League for over a month, and he appeared rusty in the opening period as Bukayo Saka was able to dominate down the Arsenal right. Sarr was hesitant in possession and uncertain with his positioning.

The French defender didn't improve after the break, and it was his poor touch after a Silva tackle that allowed Nketiah to score Arsenal's third. Sarr was later booked for a poor tackle later in the contest. 5

Cesar Azpilicueta

Deployed at right wing-back once more, Azpilicueta struggled to get into the game for much of the opening period, but he did score Chelsea's second goal of the evening, and it was a wonderful deft finish into the bottom corner, having beaten Nuno Tavares to a Mason Mount cross. In the second period, he slotted into right centre-back after swapping positions with James and conceded a late penalty for a soft foul on Saka. 6

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

With Mateo Kovacic ruled out and with an FA Cup semi-final goal to his name, it was no surprise that Loftus-Cheek started, and he was given a role on the right of N'Golo Kante in a midfield three. The academy graduate started well as he nipped into tackles ahead of Arsenal midfielders, one of which resulted in the ball breaking to Timo Werner, who finished via a deflection.

Yet Loftus-Cheek's influence on the contest waned as the match progressed. In the second half, he was moved into a deeper midfield role as Chelsea attempted to find a route back into the match, but he wasn't able to progress the ball through the Arsenal midfield. 5

N'Golo Kante

The Frenchman only played the final minutes of Sunday's win over Crystal Palace, so he would've been fresh for Arsenal's visit. In the opening 45 minutes, he was used as a single six and wasn't able to stem the tide as the Gunners flooded forward at pace whenever the chance to counter presented itself.

As the game progressed, Kante was moved into a box-to-box role, and while that saw him produce a couple of surges forward, it wasn't enough to hurt Arsenal. 5

Mason Mount

The academy graduate has been in fine form over the past fortnight and continued in that vein in the first half. Mount was comfortable with the intense pace of the game and pressed Arsenal's defenders constantly. And when given a chance to create, he teed up Azpilicueta with a fine cross.

Mount's position was shifted in the second half, and that wasn't to his benefit as it saw him struggle to get on the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch. Was booked late on. 7

Marcos Alonso

Chelsea's default left wing-back since Ben Chilwell suffered an injury in November, Alonso had started to find some form ahead of Arsenal's visit. But that deserted him this evening. Saka gave Alonso a difficult time when in one-on-one situations, and while the Spaniard did twice come close to getting on the scoresheet, that wasn't enough to overlook his defensive performance. Alonso was brought off with ten minutes to play for Hakim Ziyech. 5

Romelu Lukaku

Ahead of the game, Tuchel spoke about Lukaku's Chelsea career not being over. That the Belgian could still come good. And he was given a chance as part of a front two against the Gunners, the team he dominated on his return to the club back in August. Would history repeat itself? No.

In a frantic first half, Lukaku was on the fringes, and while there was effort shown out of possession, it wasn't enough to disrupt the Arsenal backline, which was highlighted in the build-up to the Gunners' second goal. Things didn't improve for Chelsea's club-record signing after the interval, and he was replaced at the hour mark by Kai Havertz. 5

Timo Werner

It's been quite the transformation for Werner over the past fortnight; the German is now one of the first names on the Chelsea teammate after finally finding form. And in the first half, Werner was a bundle of energy as he sprinted to close down defenders, chase down passes forward, and tried to beat opponents.

He scored Chelsea's first equaliser of the night with the help of a big deflection. It was a shot that he wouldn't have taken on a few weeks ago. Werner continued to cover plenty of ground as the game progressed, but he didn't quite have the same impact in the second period. 7

Chelsea substitutes

Thiago Silva (for Andreas Christensen, 45)

Brought on to restore some sense to the Chelsea backline, Silva couldn't quite drag his fellow defenders out of their funk. 5

Kai Havertz (for Romelu Lukaku, 60)

Introduced with Chelsea behind, Havertz had very little impact. 5

Hakim Ziyech (for Marcos Alonso, 80)

Given ten minutes to make an impact, he barely got on the ball. N/A

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