Chelsea Player Ratings: Mount makes you wonder why he didn’t start but Ziyech is anonymous before red card let-off
IT was another bad day at the office for Graham Potter as his Chelsea side suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat to London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
The Blues boss approached the game full of optimism, but his hopes were quickly dashed after Hakim Ziyech was shown a red card at the end of the first half.
Luckily for him, it was rescinded just a few minutes later.
But in the grand scheme of things, that didn’t really matter.
Spurs midfielder Oliver Skipp opened the scoring with a fantastic strike just after the break.
And just as Potter looked to make some changes to his attack, Harry Kane sealed all three points with a close-range effort.
The Blues have not won a single game since their record-breaking transfer window slammed shut.
And the pressure could now well and truly be on Potter.
On another dismal day for the Blues, SunSport’s Jordan Davies rates the performance.
KEPA – 6/10
Very little to do in the first half, and did well to deny Emerson Royal at the start of the second before getting a hand to Oliver Skipps’s shot from range. Perhaps should have done better with it, but no chance with the second.
REECE JAMES – 6/10
A surprisingly quiet display from full-back. You expect him to be gunning it down the right flank at every opportunity but that just wasn’t the case. In his defence, Tottenham’s low block did not help, but he found it hard to influence like he normally does.
THIAGO SILVA – 7/10
Looked to have swung his elbow at Cristian Romero which VAR deemed okay, but was at his disruptive and composed best before a tangle with Harry Kane forced him off in the 18th minute with a knee injury.
KALIDOU KOULIBALY – 7/10
Rarely troubled in the first half and couldn’t quite jump high enough to block Skipp’s strike. Did not deserve to be on the losing side as he remained reliable and solid throughout.
BEN CHILWELL – 6/10
Drove Emerson Royal back on several occasions while keeping Dejan Kulusevski relatively quiet, but was gradually dropping deeper to stop the counter of the latter in the second half. Switched off at a late corner to keep Harry Kane onside for the clincher.
RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK – 5/10
Worked hard and made some important blocks but very little in the form of deft touches on the ball and did not do enough to set the front three away when they had space in behind. Watching his opposite number Skipp score a worldie highlighted this even further.
ENZO FERNANDEZ – 6/10
Great ball over the top for Felix in the opening stages, but largely at fault for Spurs’ opener after his poor clearance put Joao Felix under pressure as Skipp fired past Kepa. Kept things ticking over, but no end product.
HAKIM ZIYECH – 5/10
A largely anonymous first half ending in a needless hand to the face of Emerson Royal that initially saw him sent off thanks to VAR before a VAR U-turn and a yellow instead. Was subbed off on the hour mark before he could do any more damage to his own team.
JOAO FELIX – 7/10
Chelsea’s liveliest forward in the opening stages with a thunderous shot straight at Fraser Forster, keeping Spurs’ back three on their toes with his movement. Ultimately, should have been stronger after the break as Skipp nicked it off him and scored.
RAHEEM STERLING – 6/10
Tried to win a penalty off of Oliver Skipp in the opening minute with a blatant dive, but improved and tested Forster with a curling effort from long range. Looked frustrated at times and did not know whether to stay wide or cut inside in search of the ball.
KAI HAVERTZ – 6/10
Pressed well and tried to bring others into the game yet he will be judged on chances and it is difficult to recall him having a real decent one. Was put through by a neat Mason Mount flick in the second half only to be smothered by Forster.
SUBS:
WESLEY FOFANA (SILVA, 18) – 6/10
Almost diverted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s scuffed shot onto the post just before the half hour mark, but got up to speed soon after and played an important role as Spurs began to rely on their counter even more so after their opener.
MASON MOUNT (ZIYECH, 61) – 7/10
An instant breath of fresh air in attack, bringing energy and moments of quality, one of which almost brought an equaliser for Havertz. The real question is: why didn’t he start?
DENIS ZAKARIA (LOFTUS-CHEEK, 61) – 6/10
Attempted to follow in Mount’s footsteps with more positive play and darting runs, while also providing protection from the counter.