Player Ratings – Chelsea 2 Stoke City 1

Player Ratings – Chelsea 2 Stoke City 1 [VIDEO]

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Chelsea edged their way closer to the Premier League title with a gritty 2-1 victory over Stoke City at Stamford Bridge.

Jose Mourinho’s men were made to fight for every yard they ran, and paid a price for the victory as Diego Costa left the field with yet another hamstring issue after playing just 10 minutes in the second-half. Although on the losing side, Stoke’s Charlie Adam provided the highlight of the match and possibly the goal of the season, catching Thibaut Courtois off-guard and off his line with a spectacular long range strike from past the halfway line.

Outside90 Senior Editor Hugh Schuitemaker breaks down the individual performances from both ends of the pitch.

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois – 6: For the second game in a row the Belgian goalkeeper has conceded an unnecessary goal, reacting too late to do anything about Adam’s 44th minute equaliser. Had only one other save to make as Stoke only took seven shots at goal.

Branislav Ivanovic – 8: A standout game as the Serbian spent more time in the attacking half than his own. Completed 95% of passes, delivered two crosses and took a shot at Asmir Begovic.

Gary Cahill – 7: Also relished the physicality of the contest, feeding the ball up the lines with five clearances while also making two important blocks on shots from Philipp Wollscheild and Adam.

John Terry – 7: The captain fulfilled all of his defensive duties and kept a tricky Stoke attack from gaining too much momentum.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 6.5: Had his hands full with Steven N’Zonzi and Stephen Ireland on the left-flank, beaten in 75% of tackling attempts.

Cesc Fabregas – 7: Unable to register an assist or goal, but the Spanish wizard did chalk up some good statistics, passing at 90% accuracy, creating three chances and sending five crosses into the box.

Nemanja Matic – 7: Integral in the physical midfield battle and shut out Stoke’s forward play on a number of occasions.

Willian – 7: Provided an astonishing 11 crosses and the Brazilian’s pressure around the box helped setup Loic Remy’s winning goal.

Oscar – 6: Ill-fatedly substituted for Diego Costa at half-time, yet connected well with his teammates and created a goalscoring opportunity during his time on the pitch.

Eden Hazard – 9: One of the most dangerous names in the Premier League at the moment and it looked as if a goal was imminent whenever the Belgian was on the ball. Calmly converted the first-half penalty to put Chelsea ahead, then provided the final assist for Remy on the hour mark.

Loic Remy – 8: Developing well in the blue shirt and embraced the starting opportunity, rewarding the decision to keep him on the field when Costa was also introduced with the 62nd minute winner. Took six other shots on goal while covering ground in both halves of the field.

Substitutes

Diego Costa – N/A: It is rare to see a risk backfire for Mourinho, but the star striker’s time on the pitch came to an abrupt halt 12 minutes after coming on at half-time. Reports state that the Spaniard’s troubled hamstring will force him to the sidelines for at least two weeks.

Didier Drogba – 6.5: The veteran replaced his fellow hitman but was unable to find enough possession to make an individual impact.

Juan Cuadrado – 7: Found good space on the field and distributed the ball at high accuracy, also took two shots on goal.

Stoke City

Asmir Begovic – 7: Could not do much about Hazard’s penalty but must claim some responsibility after his wayward pass out went straight to the feet of Willian and led to the winning goal. However, he also kept the Potters’ hopes of leaving with some reward alive with a total of 10 saves over the 90 minutes.

Philipp Wollscheid – 7.5: Another contender for man of the match after working tirelessly in the defence, passing at 98% accuracy, making four interceptions and eight clearances, while also working his way into the attack.

Marc Wilson – 6.5: Constantly pressured by Willian on the right-side and this reflected in the Irishman’s distribution, which was lacking, but did make important defensive touches.

Ryan Shawcross – 6: Usually plays his best in these kinds of gritty contests but was passing the ball at under 60% accuracy and lost two-thirds of his tackles.

Geoff Cameron – 7: Nobody would envy his task of trying to contain Hazard on the left but there was nothing to be ashamed about the American’s performance, clearing the ball well when under threat and recording six interceptions.

Glenn Whelan – 6.5: Had some trouble dealing with Chelsea’s pressure as the hosts notched up 19 shots on goal, giving the likes of Fabregas and Hazard far too much space in the midfield.

Stephen Ireland – 6.5: Played with an aggressiveness which helped in the midfield battle but technicality was not all there, losing more than half his tackles.

Steven N’Zonzi – 7.5: One of the few visiting players able to find good space moving, but could not get in the right position to impact the scoreline. Took two shots and created three chances for teammates.

Charlie Adam – 8: The equalising goal from inside his own half means that the Premier League cult hero will be seen in highlight reels far into the future, yet was quiet in other areas, taking only one other shot against Courtois and substituted with ten minutes left.

Mame Biram Diouf – 6: Flat and subdued for the hour he spent on the field, the Senegalese striker could not find a single opportunity to score.

Johnathan Walters – 6: Also completely shut down by the Chelsea defence.

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Substitutes

Erik Pieters – N/A: Entered the match for the last 10 minutes and could not find any time on the ball.

Marko Arnautovic – 7: Looked lively upon replacing Diouf, able to find room to take a shot in the closing minutes and also provided two crosses.

Peter Crouch – N/A: Not enough time for the rangy Englishman to get his game going.

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