Chelsea competed brilliantly for 75 minutes, but Paris Saint-Germain dismantled the Blues late in the game to win 5–2 and all but secure their place in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Twice Chelsea came back from a losing position, as Malo Gusto and then Enzo Fernández struck to cancel out goals from Bradely Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé. It was anyone’s game entering the final 15 minutes, but it all fell apart for Liam Rosenior’s side.
A calamitous mistake from goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen gifted Vitinha PSG’s third. Chelsea never recovered and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a late brace off the bench to give the Blues a mountain to climb if they want to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
It’s a frustrating result given how bravely Chelsea competed for much of the contest, but the team’s evident flaws were laid bare and PSG mercilessly punished them, leaving the defending Club World Cup champions in need of a miracle in next week’s return leg at Stamford Bridge.
Heroes and Villains
Heroes
Enzo Fernández has grown into everything Chelsea expected of him when they spent a then-record $143.1 million (£106.8 million) to sign him in Jan. 2023. The Argentine midfielder is Chelsea’s captain without the armband, and against PSG, he was again unfazed by the biggest of stages as he continues to deliver seemingly on every big occasion. Don’t look now, but he’s well on his way to another 20 goal contribution season.
Few players have been subject to more criticism in recent months than Pedro Neto, but the Portugal international tormented PSG’s backline all night. He routinely got in behind Achraf Hakimi and Chelsea’s most dangerous action usually involved Pedro—including Fernández’s second half equalizer.
Villains
Filip Jörgensen got picked to start ahead of Robert Sánchez and Rosenior’s gamble backfired. The Dane played on a knife’s edge all game, playing dangerous pass after dangerous pass, and it seemed like a matter of time before he made a massive mistake. That mistake eventually came when he carelessly gave the ball away with no defender in sight, resulting in PSG’s third, a goal that triggered Chelsea’s late collapse.
Still, Rosenior deserves to be held responsible for starting the Dane over Robert Sánchez, who was key for Chelsea’s win in the Club World Cup final against PSG and had been having a solid season. The English boss also contributed to further sinking his side late with some uninspiring substitutions.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. PSG (4-2-3-1)
GK: Filip Jörgensen—2.9: Once again left plenty to be desired in between the posts and will be signaled as the biggest reason for Chelsea’s lopsided defeat on the night.
RB: Malo Gusto—7.6: Barcola got the better of him a couple of times in the opening minutes but Gusto settled and did much better. On the ball, he was key to bypass PSG’s press and his attacking nature saw him bag a timely equalizer.
CB: Wesley Fofana—4.5: Not good enough from Fofana. Struggled against Barcola and was later put on a highlight reel on Dembélé’s goal, getting turned around in near embarrassing fashion.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—4.3: Didn’t look at all up to the challenge of PSG and all of his flaws were exposed on the night.
LB: Marc Cucurella—5.0: A quiet night for the Spaniard. He wasn’t involved in the defensive capitulation, but he didn’t offer a big helping hand either.
DM: Reece James—5.4: Like his midfield partner alongside him, Chelsea’s captain was overwhelmed all game by the pace and overall quality of PSG’s midfield, the polar opposite of what happened in the Club World Cup final.
DM: Moisés Caicedo—5.3: Caught between markers in no man’s land a number of times, resulting in him being late to a number of actions—like the one that resulted in PSG’s second. Far from his best night.
RW: Cole Palmer—6.1: João Neves was assigned to man-mark him all game and although Palmer had a couple of nice moves, he was contained for the most part and disappeared for long stretches. Could’ve given Chelsea the lead had he been more clinical in the first half.
AM: Enzo Fernández—8.6: Struggled defensively at times but he was the best Chelsea player on the pitch. He looked bright and confident with a ball at his feet and his assist was arguably not even one of his top three passes of the night. Scored as well, continuing to appear on the big occasion.
LW: Pedro Neto—7.2: His trademarked pace was key for Chelsea to exploit the space Hakimi left down the flank. A darting run from the Portuguese resulted in the most dangerous action of the first half, as well as the second half equalizer.
ST: João Pedro—5.8: Forced to play with his back towards goal much of the game, the Brazilian battled to make any significant impact. The one chance he had he buried, but the action was disallowed for offsides.
SUB: Romeo Lavia (83’ for Palmer—N/A
SUB: Liam Delap (83’ for Pedro)—N/A
SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (88’ for Gusto)—N/A
Subs not used: Robert Sánchez (GK), Max Merrick (GK), Benoît Badiashile, Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato, Mamadou Sarr, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Marc Guiu.
What the Ratings Tells Us
- Moises Caicedo deservedly earned the reputation as one of—if not the—best defensive midfielder in the Premier League. Nevertheless, he’s been nowhere near the level he performed at during the first half of the season, and PSG exposed his drop in form. If Chelsea want any hopes of having a successful end of the term, the Ecuadorian must rediscover his best.
- As consistent and serviceable as Trevoh Chalobah has been all season, games against elite teams such as PSG make it abundantly clear that Chelsea need a significant upgrade at center back. Wesley Fofana also left plenty to be desired at the Parc des Princes.
- Filip Jörgensen must be Robert Sánchez’s backup for the rest of the season, as it’s alarmingly clear he’s not good enough if Chelsea want to compete for silverware moving forward.
The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Frustrating Collapse
- PSG scored five goals while registering an xG of just 0.87, finding the back of the net in over half of their nine total attempts.
- Chelsea had four big chances to PSG’s three while also producing a higher xG (1.53) than the hosts despite losing by three goals.
| Statistic | Paris Saint-Germain | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 58% | 42% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.87 | 1.53 |
| Total Shots | 9 | 9 |
| Shots on Target | 8 | 4 |
| Big Chances | 3 | 4 |
| Passing Accuracy | 88% | 83% |
| Fouls Committed | 14 | 7 |
| Corners | 2 | 3 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. PSG: Blues Experience Shocking Collapse in Paris.
