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Chelsea player ratings vs Man Utd: Alonso inconsistent, captain superb but flop earns a 2
CHELSEA earned a valuable point away from home against Manchester United, but which of Maurizio Sarri's men impressed most?
Chelsea moved a step closer to securing Champions League qualification with a hard-earned draw against United at Old Trafford.
Juan Mata had given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side the lead when he tucked Luke Shaw’s cut-back home after just 11 minutes.
However, a shocking error from David de Gea allowed Marcos Alonso to tap in an equaliser after the Spaniard failed to hold Antonio Rudiger’s long-range effort.
Marcos Rojo had a late header cleared off the line by Pedro while Gonzalo Higuain was denied by De Gea in the closing seconds as the points were shared.
Express Sport have rated how the Chelsea players performed during their clash with Manchester United, but do you agree?
Chelsea player ratings vs Manchester United – Premier League
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6
Easily the more impressive of the two goalkeepers on show.
Denied Lukaku early on then showed decent handling to alleviate pressure on his defence.
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta – 8
Was bullied by Lukaku on one occasion and sent tumbling into the stands, but fought back well with some thunderous challenges and some really solid defensive work.
One tackle on Alexis Sanchez was a highlight, although his could have gone in the book for an accumulation of fouls.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 6
His long-range effort was spilled by De Gea, leading to the Blues’ equaliser.
Seemed more comfortable than Luiz but both were ragged at times and struggled under United’s early onslaught.
Got to grips with Lukaku in the second half but was then substituted after a reoccurrence of his knee injury.
CB: David Luiz – 5
Looked vulnerable against Marcus Rashford’s pace and his passing put team-mates in trouble on occasions.
Improved greatly after the break and made some vital clearances.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 6
May have got the equaliser but that doesn’t hide another patchy display marked by weak defending and awful crossing.
Couldn’t get a hand on Rashford but showed good anticipation and a tidy finish to beat De Gea.
CM: Jorginho – 7
An up-tempo performance from the Italian as he triggered waves of attacks with tidy work at the base of midfield.
Still looks lost defensively at times, but received much more support from his team-mates in the second half.
CM: N’Golo Kante – 7
Carried well and gave the opposition something to think about with his runs from midfield.
Helped shut up shop when Chelsea decided to settle for the point.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 5
Another quiet display where it’s hard to fault the Croatian but also difficult to praise him.
Careful on the ball and was diligent defensively but didn’t offer enough of a threat in attack or stand-out compared to his midfield rivals.
RAM: Willian – 5
So predictable with his cut-in from the flank, and his delivery was found wanting on several occasions.
Got chopped in half by Rojo and limped off shortly after.
LAM: Eden Hazard – 7
Always lively on the ball and causes panic in the opposition defence when he drives forward.
However, Higuain offered few options ahead of him and many team-mates struggled to anticipate what the Belgian was planning.
ST: Gonzalo Higuain – 2
Seemed to stand offside for much of the match and made little effort to get back on.
Didn’t have a serious attempt on goal and was incredibly frustrating to watch.
SUB: Andreas Christensen (on for Rudiger, 64 mins) – 6
Filled in well as Chelsea held out, although he took an age to get ready after Rudiger’s injury.
SUB: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (on for Kovacic, 75 mins) – 5
Tried to give Chelsea some momentum but was often crowded out before he got going.
SUB: Pedro (on for Willian, 83 mins) – 7
Made a vital clearing header off the line to deny Rojo at the death.