Stoke City ensured the continuation of Chelsea’s winless run as they prevailed in a tight contest at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
The only goal of the game was a 53rd-minute volley from Marko Arnautovic after Jonathan Walters played a high ball.
Jose Mourinho’s touchline ban was detrimental to his team’s success, but this will still be a shattering loss for the reigning champions.
The Blues had plenty of chances in the first half and were unlucky not to capitalise. Diego Costa’s shot in the 40th minute was saved by Jack Butland’s foot. When they did get the ball to their striker or wingers, Chelsea struggled to find the target.
Stoke City
Jack Butland – 7: Kept the ball out many times throughout the match, a performance that Stoke fans are used to.
Glen Johnson – 7: Created many chances from right-back and nearly scored himself.
Ryan Shawcross – 7: Dealt with Diego Costa well and handled his physicality.
Philipp Wollscheid – 6: Was solid and kept Costa from scoring.
Erik Pieters – 6: Broke his nose but kept playing. Had an average performance otherwise.
Charlie Adam – 6: Defended well but gave away some cheap fouls.
Glenn Whelan – 6: Fantastic defending as usual from him but did not bring the ball forward as much as he usually does.
Xherdan Shaqiri – 6: Made Baba Rahman look silly at times with his pace and skill.
Bojan Krkic – 6: Created chances for his teammates but did not enjoy too many himself.
Marko Arnautovic – 7: Was pretty horrible in the first half but scored a brilliant volley and had other chances in the second.
Jonathan Walters – 5: Had his usual grit and determination but could not create any chances.
Substitutes
Ibrahim Afellay – N/A: Was only on for 10 minutes.
Geoff Cameron – 6: Defended well and played surprisingly well as a midfielder.
Mame Biram Diouf – N/A: Was only on for 10 minutes.
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