Chelsea 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion: Player Ratings
Chelsea cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion in their Boxing Day clash at Stamford Bridge. Despite dominating the game for the start, Chelsea failed to take the lead in the first half due to some excellent goal-keeping from Mathew Ryan and good performances from the Brighton defenders.
However, Chelsea came out in the second half all guns blazing and it took them only 56 seconds after the restart to take the lead through Alvaro Morata. Antonio Conte's men extended their lead right at the hour mark through Marcos Alonso to snatch all three points on the night.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at how the players from both sides fared during the game:
Chelsea FC
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
The Belgian did not have a lot to do on the night and cruised to yet another clean-sheet for the season. Courtois did well to deny Glenn Murray from close range without knowing that the striker was in an offside position, as confirmed by the referee later.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 8/10
The Spaniard has been one of Chelsea's best performers so far and continued his fairy tale partnership with Morata, who scored from his cross for the sixth time this season. Azpilicueta showed no lapses in concentration and impressed with his ball-playing abilities.
Gary Cahill - 7/10
Cahill was hardly troubled by Brighton on the night and he emerged on top whenever he was called into action. The Chelsea skipper showed composure on the ball and complemented his teammates well on the night.
Antonio Rudiger - 7/10
The German was solid at the back for Chelsea yet again and hardly put a foot wrong while defending. Rudiger also posed a threat from set-pieces and did well to find himself in good areas of the pitch.
Victor Moses - 6/10
Moses lacked motivation in the first half and was let down by his decision making inside the opposition's half. However, the Nigerian came back strongly in the second half and did well to force Izquierdo into his own half for the majority of the game.
N'Golo Kante - 7/10
The Frenchman was his usual self of command and tireless working in the middle of the park for the hosts. Kante did well to nick the ball from the opposition on numerous occasions and contributed as another source of pressure every time Chelsea moved forward with the ball.
Tiemoue Bakayoko - 6/10
Bakayoko did well to find space inside Brighton's half on quite a few instances but the midfielder was let down by his ability to find the back of the net. The Frenchman failed to extend Chelsea's lead when the ball was put on a plate for him by Hazard following a brilliant Chelsea counter-attack in the second half.
Marcos Alonso - 7/10
The goal took Alonso's tally for the calendar year to 10 goals, the highest by any defender in the league. Despite finding it hard to create an opening in the first half, Alonso continued his good work in the second half and forced Mathew Ryan to a couple of good saves before finally beating the Australian in the 60th minute.
Cesc Fabregas - 7/10
Fabregas underlined his status as one of Chelsea's most creative players on the night and displayed his impressive ability to find a teammate anywhere on the pitch with some accurate passing. The Spaniard also provided the assist for Chelsea's second goal on the night.
Eden Hazard - 8/10
Yet another impressive performance from the Belgian tonight. Hazard was a vital cog in Chelsea's ambitions while going forward and he created a few good chances for his teammates on the night. During Chelsea's best spell in the game, Hazard was unstoppable.
Alvaro Morata - 7/10
The Spaniard opened the scoring for Chelsea with a delightful header just minutes after the half-time break. Morata did well to hold the ball up and was not shy of standing up to the Brighton defenders.
Substitutes
Willian - 4/10
The Brazilian replaced Eden Hazard in the 73rd minute and never got into his stride. Willian should have done better considering the fact that he went up against the tiring legs of the Brighton back line.
Michy Batshuayi - N/A
Came on in the 82nd minute to replace Alvaro Morata.
Danny Drinkwater - N/A
Came on in the 84th minute for N'Golo Kante.