Vicente Guaita : Relatively untroubled in the first half, bravely claiming a cross on the stroke of half-time. Beaten by Veltman 10 minutes after half-time. Made a great save during a frantic scramble. 7
Joel Ward : A tough game, but fought well. Struggled with Brighton's overlapping at times. 6
Gary Cahill : A pretty quiet first half by all accounts, but was forced into more action in the second, making one vital block on Welbeck. Was forced off the pitch momentarily with a cut, but came back. 7
Cheikhou Kouyate : A decent pass down the wing to find Ayew for the opening goal. Always strong against his opponent, and put his body on the line to deny what looked like being a clear goal. 7
Tyrick Mitchell : Did fairly well defensively with help from Townsend, but struggled to add much going forwards with some predictable passing being broken up. A little unfortunate in seeing a tackle on Welbeck deflect to Veltman for the equaliser. 6
Andros Townsend : Looked on occasion like he might get overrun when Brighton attacked, chose his moments to press well as the game advanced in the first half. Made some good runs but wasn't quite picked out. Caught asleep for Brighton's equaliser, leaving his man unmarked. Generally didn't make the greatest choices on the ball. Made all the difference in stoppage time, though, crossing for Benteke to grab the winner. 5
Luka Milivojevic : Made a nice interception and nutmeg before driving forward, but his pass to Townsend was off. Fought hard during Brighton's onslaught and was constantly making his case known to the referee, but the game passed him by a little. 5
Jairo Riedewald : A fairly quiet game, but made a couple of vital blocks to keep the scores level early in the second half. A couple of decent bursts with the ball to try and relieve pressure. 6
Ebere Eze : A little quiet in the opening half, moved in-field and frequently forced back when he did get the ball. When he did get a chance to break in the second half he was cynically hauled down. 5
Jordan Ayew : As usual, showed fantastic effort to grind out an opportunity to get a cross in for the opening goal. The delivery was right on the money as well. Also made a number of good clearing headers in the opening 45 minutes, taking a whack for his troubles. Great work throughout, and saw the benefits as he surged on to feed Townsend before Benteke's winner. 8
Jean-Philippe Mateta : Wasn't quite sticking for him in the opening half, but showed his class with a sumptuous finish to open the scoring. Struggled on with little service in the second half before Benteke was brought on. 7
Subs
Christian Benteke: Brought on for the last 15 minutes, taking one shot while off-balance that flew over. Grabbed the match winner with an absolutely stunning volley in stoppage time. 7
James McCarthy: On in stoppage time to try and stem the tide.
