HOW THEY FARED.. After coming out of the first half on top despite a 0-0 scoreline, Tottenham Hotspur gifted Chelsea four goals after the restart in an epic capitulation that saw the Blues’ home dominance under Jose Mourinho continue. First it was Jan Vertonghen playing Samuel Eto’o through to score, and then Hazard doubled Chelsea’s lead from the spot after Eto’o had earned a penalty off Younes Kaboul, who was controversially ejected. Demba Ba’s late brace rubbed salt into the guests very open wounds, and each of Sandro, Vertonghen, Kyle Walker and Hugo Lloris shared the blame for the Senegal striker’s pair. Following are player ratings and analysis for both sets of players. Chelsea Player Ratings Player Half-Time Full-Time Cech 8 8 Ivanovic 8 8 Cahill 8 8 Terry 8 8 Azpilicueta 8 8 Ramires 7 8 Matic 8 8 Lampard 7 7 Schurrle 6 5 Hazard 7 8 Etoo 7 8 Oscar N/A 8 Willian N/A 8 Ba N/A 9 BR UK Half-Time analysis for Chelsea Cech: Made a spectacular save to deny Sandro’s volley. Ivanovic: Distribution has been very poor, and he’s had his hands full with both Sigurdsson and Lennon. Cahill: Has been unusually unconvincing in the air. Terry: His first pass has been poor. Azpilicueta: Holding his own opposite Walker and Lennon, when he’s drifted to the right. Ramires: Only 18 touches during the first half. Matic: Four tackles in a typically physical period. Lampard: Booked for a late, reckless challenge on Sandro. Schurrle: Last weekend’s hat-trick hero hasn’t even looked like scoring. Hazard: Hasn’t shown all that much since hitting the side netting inside four minutes. Eto’o: Ran offside just seconds into the match after catching Spurs napping. Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Full-Time analysis for Chelsea Cech: Had just two saves to make, and none after Spurs were reduced to 10 men. Ivanovic: Contributed a trio of tackles in a solid display. Cahill: Drastically improved his distribution in the second half. Terry: Not the most impactful outing from the skipper, but at least mistake-free. Azpilicueta: Has firmly established himself as Mourinho’s first-choice left-back. Ramires: Dropped deeper into midfield upon Oscar’ introduction to start the second half. Matic: Ended the night with 86 touches and six tackles. Lampard: Was sacrificed for Oscar at half-time. Schurrle: Did next to nothing before being replaced by Willian. Hazard: Played much better with Oscar alongside. Eto’o: Looked to have taken a dive to get the penalty. Oscar: His introduction was the shake-up Chelsea desperately required. Willian: No Chelsea player distributed the ball more accurately. Ba: Was introduced as Eto’o was given a standing ovation, and went on to bag a brace. Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings Player Half-Time Full-Time Lloris 7 5 Naughton 8 7 Dawson 7 6 Kaboul 8 6 Vertonghen 8 6 Bentaleb 9 8 Sandro 8 8 Walker 7 6 Lennon 6 5 Sigurdsson 7 6 Adebayor 7 6 Paulinho N/A 6 Fryers N/A 6 BR UK Half-Time analysis for Tottenham Hotspur Lloris: Has hardly looked convincing when coming off his line. Naughton: Several vital defensive plays, including one where he shepherded Eto’o to the touchline. Dawson: His giveaway midway through the first half nearly led to a Chelsea goal. Kaboul: He was there to mop up Dawson’s mistake. Vertonghen: For someone who claims to dislike the left-back position, he does rather well at it. Sandro: Has been warned three times about his tackling. Bentaleb: The game’s best passer with 95% proficiency in the first half. Walker: Moving from the right to the middle and back in a mostly defensive role intended to contain Hazard. Lennon: Only 16 touches of the ball so far. Sigurdsson: Set-piece deliver needs to be better. Adebayor: Contributing some good touches in the attacking third. Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Full-Time analysis for Tottenham Hotspur Lloris: Dreadful at times, especially when coming off his line. Naughton: Pinned back by Hazard after Oscar’s introduction. Dawson: Limped off with an apparent hamstring injury. Kaboul: Shouldn’t have been sent off. Vertonghen: A solid first half followed by one of his worst periods in a Spurs shirt. Sandro: His work-rate was exemplary. Bentaleb: The 19-year-old passed accurately and positioned himself well, although his impact was reduced after the sending off. Walker: His chested ball that set up Ba’s second capped off a forgettable night. Lennon: Who? Sigurdsson: Didn’t offer much before being replaced by Paulinho. Adebayor: Was spotted laughing in the latter stages, his side down 4-0, because he must have found something terribly funny. Paulinho: Actually moved the ball well but was mostly brought on as damage control. Fryers: Came on after Dawson’s injury.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 07:25:37 +0000
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