I thought this was a very good game from us. We had Dembele out and Lennon was visibly sub-par, but the set up and the subs worked to plan. We didn't win it but this is still Chelsea away, a really good side that's been on form and playing very good football recently (locally and abroad). It felt like a win to me.
Hugo - 7 sharp...but not sure if he could have been better for the goals
Walker - 8 - his best game in 2013. his single constant driving runs up front was the main reason for pinning chelsea back for much of the game when they tried to attack in numbers
Dawson - 7 - strong in the tackles, but has to be more commanding in the box
Verts - 7 - a number of excellent well timed challenges, robbed torres countless times under his nose
BAE - 7 - a few lapses but his constant foraging upfield and linkup play contributed to pinning chelsea back in the last thirty minutes, and led to the equalizer
Holtby - 7 - good energy and link up play and got into good positions, to be let down by lack of understanding, he helped thudd have time to shift his passes
Hudd - 5 - very good "static play" - the one-twos, the long pass (given time), but let down by his total lack of mobility and saw the game literally sweep past him in a swarm of white and blue. faded very badly in the second half, succession of corners and freekick all going awry; Special player no doubt, but best kept as a Plan B IMO
Parker - 7 - one of his better games playing much lower and just hassling and buying Thudd and the team time to regroup and shift numbers upfield. I think he's not the best but contrast to the last game without him, we could not get organized and could not get the ball to stay on the ground - and that was Soton!
Bale - 6 - totally marked out of the game thereby giving ade some space. did some good backtracking, but I felt he could have run around more to confuse the chelsea defence. still he had 3 players going for him at any time
Ade - 8 - MOTM performance and his best in 2013. Textbook hold-up play and tracking back; and you could see his intention when he took the ball in our half looked back and saw he was alone and went for goal against four chelsea defenders in a line - and what a goal it was. Two moments of Genius, the second one being the backheel assist into the path of an advancing Siggy.
Lennon - 5 - Looked unfit and didn't get stuck in, when he did he only added to the crowd and didn't try to stretch himself (for fear of aggravating his injury?). Didn't feel like he got involved much on or off the ball, felt like a waste of a player and it felt like we were missing a man at times.
Sig - 8 - solid link up play, got into good positions in attack and defence, and very very well taken goal. important player for us.
Dempsey - 6 -for what its worth, got stuck in and got into a few good positions.
AVB - 9 - much better lineup this time, but can see him changing the lineup again to make Thudd work in the centre (it still didn't work out but that's another thread). Parker's shielding and deeper position and Holtby's energy was good against a world class Blue's midfield, giving Hudd the time to stroll with the ball. What worked well was getting Ade, BAE and Siggy together together - guys on the same short pass-and-move triangles thinking, as seen by the goal. Chelsea had the much better players and they ooze class, but we were the better team.