Chelsea 2-0 Fulham;Players Rating vs Fulham

Chelsea now in the pole position to finish in the top 4 with 4 games left to play as they beat Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. In the 1st half, both teams had their chances but Chelsea was the team more clinical enough in front of the goal as they took the deserved lead at halftime, and also Mendy was forced into actions for Chelsea a couple of times as he made a couple of good saves in the 1st half. The 2nd half was a different story as the chances have been limited for both teams, Fulham didn’t attempt any shot on target and also Chelsea continues to be more clinical as they killed the game off by scoring the 2nd goal after the start of the 2nd half. It was deserved win for Chelsea and also it was a positive build-up ahead of the crucial Semi-Final showdown against Real Madrid. Tuchel makes a couple of changes in the team, also with the formation, and here is the player's rating of the match.

 

Note;(GK-Goal Keeper, CB- Centre Back, LWB- Left Wing Back, RWB-Right Wing Back, CM-Centre Midfield, CDM-Centre Defensive Midfielder, RCM-Right Centre Midfield, LCM-Left Centre Midfield, CAM-Centre Attacking Midfield, LS-Left Striker, RS-Right Striker S )

Formation:3-1-4-2/3-4-1-2

GK- Edouard Mendy – Forced into actions in the 1st half as he made 3 crucial saves especially the save he made in the additional time of the 1st half which deflected off Reece James was one for the camera. Nothing to do in the 2nd half but his saves in the 1st half was crucial for Chelsea.   Rating- 8/10 

CB- Andreas Christensen – again he looks solid defensively and drives forward with the ball to create some attacks for the team.  Rating 8/10  

CB- Thiago Silva – he had a couple of shaky moments as he misplaced some of his passings which put the team under the pressure but apart from his long ball accuracy was impressive today which leads to the 1st goal of the match. Defensively he dealt with everything he faced today.    Rating 7.5/10 

CB- Kurt Zouma- caught out of position a few times especially right at the end of the match which he switched off for a moment but apart from those shaky moments alongside other center backs Zouma did his job well today. Rating 7/10

RWB- Reece James-   Fulham players were putting a lot of dangerous crosses in the box from Chelsea’s defensive left channel but James dealt with all the crosses they put as his positioning for those occasions was on point, also battled with Andy Robinson which James won his majority of the battle with Fulham’s defender and also looks dangerous when he goes forward as he nearly set up Werner right in the end which was prevented by Alphonse Areola.   Rating 8/10

LWB-Ben Chilwell– involved in the 2nd goal as he brilliantly found Havertz with the long ball and also looks decent when he goes forward. But defensively he should have done better on the occasions when he let in a lot of crosses from Ivan Cavalerio. It was a rare thing that happened from his side but it didn’t up costly for the team. Despite those shaky moments, it was a decent display from him.   Rating 7/10

CDM/CM-Billy Gilmour – starts the match as a single pivot, outmuscled by Fulham’s Midfield as he loses the ball couple of times in the dangerous area but also he put in some good tackles and passes as well. Then in the 2nd half, he was in the part of double pivots and he improved a lot as well. Overall it’s a game of more hits than a miss from the youngster.   Rating 6.5/10

LCM/CM- Mason Mount- Again Mason Mount puts in another impressive performance for Chelsea as he set up the opening goal of the match with a moment of magic from him as he controlled the long ball with the delightful 1st touch and put Havertz through with a nice pass well. Then he continues being a treat for the Fulham’s defense with his work rate with and without having the ball.  Rating 8/10 

RCM/CAM- Hakim Ziyech- looks lively with the ball as he tries to create something with his nice passes and also creates a lot of problems for Fulham’s defense with some through balls nearly scored the 2nd the goal of the match was well saved by Alphonse Areola and looks frustrated when he subbed off.    Rating 7/10  

LS- Timo Werner- set up the 2nd goal of the match with a nice through ball and also could have another assist to his name which was denied by Fulham’s goalkeeper. Continues being a treat with his movement and pace but his 1st touch could have been better on certain occasions also looks easily outmuscled by Fulham’s defense on certain occasions as well. Rating 7/10 

ST- Kai Haverzt - Instantly he is the man of the match and that’s the end of the story. 2 well-taken goals and the way he showed his composure for both goals in the 1 on 1 situation was impressive. Could have scored a Hat Trick but his attempt was well tackled by Fulham’s defense. Loses the ball one time at the beginning of the match in the dangerous area but since then his hold play also was on point, also showed his defensive capably as he cleared some of the crosses from the Corners and also tirelessly pressured the opponent when they had the positions. In contention to start the next crucial match against Real Madrid, he probably deservedly so, and also he is the deserved man of the match.  Rating 9/10 Man of the Match.

 

Substitution

Ngolo Kante for Hakim Ziyech – came on for the last 25 minutes to protect the 2-0 lead as he did that by protecting the defense well. Rating 6/10

Tammy Abraham for Mason Mount - Came on for the last 15 minutes but couldn’t make any impact in the match - Rating 5/10

Marcos Alonso for Ben Chilwell- just to add some fresh legs with 10 minutes to go and had a free-kick blocked by the Fulham’s wall. Rating 5/10

 

Manager

Thomas Tuchel- another win and another clean sheet as Tuchel got right again for what he doing so far. Now the main focus is on the Champions League Semi-Final 2nd leg against Real Madrid and there is no room for any slip-up. It was a nice momentum to go for that match with a win and I’m having the confidence with the team that they’ll do the job well. Rating 8/10