Chelsea suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of Manchester City’s second-string team. The Blues, who are currently in 12th place, seem to be counting down the days until the end of the season and the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager. The team is in desperate need of a clear-out, and many of the players who featured in the game against City could soon be sold.
After the match, SunSport’s Etienne Fermie rated each Chelsea player’s performance. Kepa Arrizabalaga received a rating of 5, as he had little chance of saving Julian Alvarez’s opener and hardly had any saves to make despite City’s dominance. Wesley Fofana also received a rating of 5, as his careless pass led to City’s clinical opener and he appeared error-prone and possibly the weakest of Chelsea’s three centre-backs.
Thiago Silva, who was unable to get near Alvarez as the Argentine scored City’s first goal, received a rating of 5. While he is under contract for next season, losing him would not be a huge miss for the Blues. Cesar Azpilicueta, who was given a torrid time by City starlet Cole Palmer, received a rating of 4 and is well past his sell-by date at Stamford Bridge.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was selected by Frank Lampard despite close links with AC Milan this week, received a rating of 6 for providing some excellent driving runs through midfield. Enzo Fernandez, who was on the end of some strong tackles by Man City’s midfielders, also received a rating of 6 for trying to get things going for his side but often cutting a frustrated figure.
Conor Gallagher hit the post with a first-half header and was typically industrious but struggled to leave a big imprint on the game, receiving a rating of 5. Lewis Hall, who had a fierce left-footed drive denied by Ortega, struggled at times defensively but can hardly be blamed for Chelsea’s woes and received a rating of 5.
Raheem Sterling, who was unable to beat Ortega when played through one on one, looked dangerous on the break as he returned to face his former club and received a rating of 7. Kai Havertz, who was booked for a late tackle on Kalvin Phillips and drifted in and out of the contest, received a rating of 5.
The substitutes, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, Carney Chukwuemeka, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Christian Pulisic, were unable to make much of an impact on the game.