It wasn’t the best of performances by the Blues but they got the job done against a gritty Barnsley side to go through to the quarter finals!
Tammy Abraham – 8
Abraham wasn’t spectacular on the night but was ultimately the deciding factor in the game. The striker could’ve earned a penalty in the first half and eventually ended up tapping in the goal that won the game. Just as important, if not more, was his headed clearance off the goal line to preserve Chelsea’s lead.
Kepa – 7.5
Kepa made an extremely crucial save early in the first half that stopped Barnsley from going in front. The goalkeeper was composed throughout, claiming crosses and shots with relative ease. He did almost make another costly error from a Barnsley freekick however and had to be bailed out by Tammy Abraham.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 7
CHO was the only bright spark for Chelsea in the first half. Admittedly, he was unable to do too much as Chelsea failed to get a shot on target for nearly 60 minutes but he seemed the likeliest to make something happen. Linked up well with Reece James once he came on.
Reece James – 7
James replaced Marcos Alonso and immediately provided the attacking impetus that was missing from Chelsea’s game. Provided the assist for Abraham’s winner and worked tirelessly on both ends of the pitch to ensure Chelsea came away with the victory.
N’Golo Kante – 5
Kante struggled with Barnsley’s high press for the entirety of the game. Though he was solid in offering some protection to the backline, he didn’t show up for the ball nearly enough, leading to a number of back passes that invited pressure onto the Blues. Got passed too easily a couple of times as well.
Hakim Ziyech – 4
Chelsea’s most disappointing player on the night, Ziyech looked like a deer in headlights. Barely did anything of note with the ball and his delivery was awful, finding the first man with a corner in the second half. Youngster Tino Anjorin was able to do more than Ziyech in his 20 minutes on the field and that about sums up the Moroccan’s night.
The rest: Christensen – 5.5, Zouma – 6, Rudiger – 6.5, Emerson – 5, Gilmour – 6.5, Alonso – 5, Pulisic – 4.5 Anjorin – 6, Kovacic – n/a
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