Thanks to Thursday night’s London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea are within touching distance of the top seven in the Premier League and European qualification.
The Blues went into the game very weakened, with coach Mauricio Pochettino only having 11 first-team players available. But it was a brilliant, perhaps even coming-of-age, performance from the young team, helped by a decidedly weak Tottenham side as they limped towards the finish line of the season.
Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring in the first half and Nicolas Jackson doubled the lead to give them a more comfortable lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
These are the best and worst players in the game, according to Chelsea90minPlayer ratings.
Marc Cucurella: 8/10
The former Brighton player thrived in a role that regularly saw him move into midfield as an inverted full-back. He gave Brennan Johnson nothing all evening, even secretly blocking him to make room for Chalobah’s opener, and was instrumental in winning the ball back all over the pitch. Overall, it was one of his best performances at the club.
Honorable mention
Trevoh Chalobah: 8/10
Chalobah had to wait two years for his goal when he masterfully flicked the ball into the far corner with a powerful header. But it wasn’t just in an offensive sense that he made himself counted, as he made a number of important clearances in his own penalty area, helping to preserve the clean sheet.
Noni Madueke: 6/10
The winger certainly didn’t lack ambition as he lined up to take on Emerson Royal, but his final pass lacked consistent quality. At one point he did the hard work of beating his opponent around the outside, but the move failed because he couldn’t get the ball across the box before he ran out of space. This was by no means a bad performance.
Dishonorable mention
Cole Palmer: 6/10
Considering he has managed Chelsea all season, it’s fair that Palmer can afford a quieter evening every now and then, especially on a night when so many others appeared in blue shirts. Things could still have been very different if his free kick had been an inch or two deeper and hit the net rather than the crossbar. Coincidentally, that was what actually gave Jackson Chelsea’s second goal.