Chelsea 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Player ratings for The Blues as they secure a Champions League spot | EPL 2019-20
Frank Lampard's Chelsea rose to the occasion and secured a clinical victory in a must-win game against Wolverhampton Wanderers to earn a ticket into next season's UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea concluded their 2019-20 Premier League campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolves at Stamford Bridge thanks to two first-half injury-time goals from Mason Mount and Olivier Giroud.
The game got off to a slow start and for the first 45 minutes both the sides rarely had a sight at goal, with the visitors managing just one shot on target and the hosts with zero shots on target. Frank Lampard's men turned the things around in first half injury time, scoring two goals in the space of 144 seconds.
Mason Mount scored a peach of a goal from a direct free-kick and later set up Giroud with an excellent through ball. Wolves were unhappy with the referee's decision to award a free-kick to the hosts when Alonso went down bang in front of the box.
Thus a dull first half came to an exhilarating end especially for Chelsea and with a two-goal lead in hand, the second half was a stroll for The Blues. Wolves failed to display their usual fighting spirit and failed to secure a Europa League qualification to finish off an impressive season on a high.
So, as they secured a Champions League spot with a commanding win, here we present to you the player ratings for Chelsea from the game.
Chelsea Player Ratings:-
Willy Caballero - 7/10
The Argentine goalkeeper replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga tonight and managed to keep a clean sheet in his first Premier League appearance since the restart. He did not have much to do throughout the game and was only called into action once during the match. Did well to stop Pedro Neto's dangerous cross.
César Azpilicueta - 6.5/10
The 30-year-old defender was not particularly busy tonight but displayed great composure when dealing with the tricky Wolves attackers. He was aware of the position of the attacker, tracked them well and most importantly was never caught by surprise by his opponents.
Kurt Zouma - 6.5/10
The Frenchman started at the middle of the back three for The Blues and managed to put in a solid shift as the central figure in defence. He utilized his physical presence to neutralize the threat of Raul Jimenez and was always the first player to read the danger and fall back. He made six clearances throughout the game, more than anyone on the pitch.
Antonio Rüdiger - 6.5/10
The Chelsea defender put in an unpretentious display tonight and dealt with any threat that crept in from the left flank. He put in five tackles throughout the game and did well in aerial duels. His no-nonsense approach proved effective against the dangerous Adama Traore, who was brought in during the second half by Wolves.
Marcos Alonso - 6/10
Starting as a wide wing-back, he ended up having little contribution in defence but made up for that by making multiple runs in the final third. Though his passing took a hit tonight his presence in forward positions allowed the attackers to move into dangerous spaces. He earned the free-kick that gave Chelsea the lead and that was his only real contribution to the game.
Reece James - 6.5/10
The youngster was very lively on the right flank and showed a good understanding of the game to find himself in attacking positions quite often. His movement kept Jonny busy and allowed Mason Mount to exploits space behind the Spanish defender.
Jorginho - 6/10
Pretty routine outing for the Chelsea midfielder as he tried to provide a link between the defence and the attack. Spent most of his time as an extra defender thus had little to offer going forward.
Mateo Kovacic: 7.5/10
Kovacic controlled the midfield tonight and was very effective in passing the ball forward as well as winning it back. He attempted six tackles in the game, more than anyone on the pitch. Showed his distribution skills in the game as he completed all five of his attempted lobbed passes. Kovacic provided a crucial link between the Chelsea attack and defence as he linked seamlessly with players on either half of the pitch.
Mason Mount: 9/10
Mason Mount signed off on an excellent breakthrough season with a man of the match performance, as he had a hand in both of Chelsea's goals. He executed the free-kick in the first minute of injury time with such perfection that even a full stretch Rui Patricio failed to get close to it.
Just moments later he linked with both of his strike partners as he received the ball from Pulisic and picked the perfect pass for Giroud to double their lead. Though he only attempted 37 passes in the game, he was very clinical, having made four key passes. His off-the-ball movement continues to improve with each passing day.
Olivier Giroud: 8/10
The veteran striker justified his inclusion the Chelsea starting XI by scoring his seventh goal since the restart. His cool finish after beating Coady on the ball was a great display of his physical strength and experience. He had Chelsea's first clear chance just minutes before the goal, but Mount's cross proved way too much for him to handle as he headed it over the goal.
Christian Pulisic: 6.5/10
The American winger was in red-hot form heading into the fixture and it was hoped that he would be the one to do the most of heavy lifting in the final third in this crucial fixture. But he had a relatively quiet day at the office as he struggled against a calm and physical Willy Boly. He started the move that led to Chelsea's second goal thus proving that even when he's having a bad day he can be dangerous.
Substitutes -
Callum Hudson-Odoi - 5/10
Chelsea sat back and moved the ball around to keep their two-goal lead by the time he was brought on.
Tammy Abraham - 5/10
Had a lot of energy after coming on, and even earned a corner just before injury time. Squandered a great opportunity on the counter-attack as his shot went straight at Patricio in the third minute of injury time.
Pedro Rodriguez - N/A
Bringing him on in the 84th for Mount was more a symbolic gesture from Lampard, allowing the Spaniard to feature in what might be his last game for Chelsea.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - N/A
Did not get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
Ross Barkley - N/A
Did not get enough minutes to warrant a rating.