A hard-working Swansea became the first to triumph over Chelsea since Guus Hiddink’s return to the Premier League in a 1-0 win at the Liberty overnight.
There was a makeshift feel among the Blue setup which travelled to Wales, with Matt Miazga, Baba Rahman, Alexandre Pato and Reuben Loftus-Cheek all in the starting XI.
What would prove to be the decisive goal came in the 25th minute. Gylfi Sigurdsson feeding the ball for Jefferson Montero on the wing, whose cross was recklessly headed back down by Miazga for the Icelander to volley home past a helpless Asmir Begovic.
Close chances fell for Pato either side of halftime, but the reigning champions always seemed to be looking for shortcuts on the pitch rather than putting their full efforts into attack. This resulted in a deflating display where the Blues generated just two shots on target.
It was a showing that none of the players would have wanted as a summer clear-out at Stamford Bridge seems likely when Antonio Conte arrives, while Swansea jumped up to 12th on the ladder with the victory.
POPULAR ARTICLES
EPL – What We Learned – Watford 1 Everton 1
EPL – Player Ratings – West Ham United 3 Arsenal 3
EPL – Tactical Analysis – West Ham United 3 Arsenal 3
Swansea City
Lukasz Fabianski – 7: The Polish custodian probably would not have expected such a quiet outing between the posts, only having to make two saves in what was a well-earned clean sheet.
Neil Taylor – 6: Passing needed to be better from the back, yet he made up for it with some supreme tackling all along the wing.
Ashley Williams – 7.5: Kept Chelsea from generating anything threatening inside the box with 11 clearances and six interceptions.
Federico Fernandez – 7: Another immense force that completely shutdown the makeshift visiting attack, although he was beaten on occasion by Loftus-Cheek.
Angel Rangel – 8: Performed all of his defensive duties with near perfection and also moved forward with plenty of afforded space. Recorded seven interceptions and four successful tackles. Did not steal the spotlight but showed composure as the hosts dominated the midfield battle.
Leroy Fer – 6: Did not steal the spotlight but showed composure as the hosts dominated the midfield battle.
Jack Cork – 7: The 26-year-old’s top rate distribution was crucial in the middle of the pitch. Tested Begovic with a long drive and also broke up Chelsea’s attempted to get forward.
Jefferson Montero – 6.5: Disappointingly put the ball just over the bar from close-range in the 76th minute, but created two chances for his teammates and sent 10 attempted crosses into the box before being substituted late.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 8: His low 25th minute rocket into the back of the net proved to be the winning goal, but the Icelandic playmaker threatened throughout the contest with pinpoint passing and attacking creativity.
Andre Ayew – 5.5: Had less of an impact than the other Swans midfielders, with his best moments coming early in the game. Made way for Wayne Routledge with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Alberto Paloschi – 5.5: Forced a close-range save from Begovic early in the second-half, but was largely kept under wraps by the more physical Branislav Ivanovic and was replaced by Bafetimbi Gomis.
Substitutes
Wayne Routledge – 5: Did enough to see out the result in the second-half.
Bafetimbi Gomis – 6: Added a further dimension up front, but did not see enough of the ball to increase Swansea’s advantage.
Kyle Naughton – N/A: Only played the final minutes.
Chelsea
Asmir Begovic – 6: Could not have done anything to stop Sigurdsson’s follow-up goal and made six important saves over the game to keep Chelsea alive, but is one of the players reportedly wanting to make a better impression before Conte’s arrival.
Baba Rahman – 5.5: It was a satisfactory outing for the youngster, who performed well at the back up against Ayew and also tried to spark some life in the Swansea box with six crosses.
Branislav Ivanovic – 6.5: Stood tall in the centre-back role against both Paloschi and Gomis, winning all attempted tackles and making five clearances. Has looked far better this season when operating at the heart of defence.
Matt Miazga – 4.5: The American lacked efficiency and was probably fortunate to not be against an opposition attack which could create more pressure. Failed to properly deal with Montero’s cross which led to the goal and was substituted at the halftime break.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6: Continues to show composure against any challenge, although he was playing on the right this time. Supplied four crosses, while recording five clearances, three interceptions and three blocks.
Cesc Fabregas – 5: Lacked accuracy on crosses, was nowhere near as physical enough when challenging for possession and overall failed to create anything meaningful in the final-third.
John Obi Mikel – 5.5: The veteran’s passing was good and he even dropped back into a fullback role late on, yet he was never going to be the one to turn the game around.
Oscar – 6.5: A lively source in the midfield who only lacked teammates with similar intent, won six take-ons over the pitch and delivered four crosses into the box.
Reuben Loftus-Cheek – 6.5: Had the first shot of the game in the sixth minute and passed with high accuracy, yet the blue attacking never seemed menacing enough. Left the pitch late for Radamel Falcao.
Alexandre Pato – 5.5: Probably should have scored just before the break and again in the 55th minute, but both efforts went just wide of the post. The shine from last week’s debut appeared to wear away quickly as the Brazilian had little other impact.
Pedro – 4.5: Similarly could not continue the momentum after scoring a brace in the previous match as he was near invisible at the Liberty.
Substitutes
Kenedy – 5.5: Had some positive signs in the second-half, yet was largely let down by the performances of his teammates.
Bertrand Traore – 5: Added some fresh legs in attack which helped the Blues, but he needed more possession.
Radamel Falcao – 5: Had a late chance to level the game which was denied by Fabianski, but his introduction seemed to be a last resort move by Hiddink.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
