Chelsea’s hopes of a top four finish and Champions League football next season are all-but over, following Wednesday night’s 1-1 with Huddersfield Town. The result means the Blues must beat Newcastle in their final league game on Sunday, and hope Brighton can beat Liverpool at Anfield in order to finish fourth. It was contrasting fortunes for the away side, however, as the point secures a place in the top flight for next season. Laurent Depoitre netted the opener for David Wagner’s side, before Marcos Alonso’s fortuitous goal brought Chelsea level. Despite dominating the majority of the game, Antonio Conte’s side had to settle for a point. Here’s who impressed on Wednesday’s draw with Huddersfield.
Willy Caballero – 5
Conte made six changes to the side that beat Liverpool on Sunday, and the Argentine goalkeeper had little to do until he was bested by Depoitre for the opener.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6
Moved to right-back as Chelsea went in search of a winner, and was a good option going forward. Just his final ball was the let down.
Andreas Christensen – 6
Restored to the starting lineup after a few games out, the Dane had a good game. Kept Depoitre quiet for the majority of the game, and wasn’t at fault for the goal.
Antonio Rudiger – 6
Missed a big chance in the first half to put Chelsea in front, but had no issues on the defensive side of things.
Davide Zappacosta – 5
Hooked off early on in the second half for Olivier Giroud, as he did nothing of merit while on the pitch for Chelsea.
N’Golo Kante – 7
Chelsea’s best player by a country mile. The Frenchman was excellent, and was brilliant defensively. Made a run in the first half that Lionel Messi would’ve been proud of.
Cesc Fabregas – 5
Made a couple of nice passes, but was unable to produce the killer ball to help Chelsea find a winner, despite seeing a lot of the ball.
Marcos Alonso – 6
Scored the equaliser with a very lucky goal. A Huddersfield defender attempted to clear the ball, but it came back off Alonso’s face and into the back of the net.
Willian – 5
Saw a lot of the ball, but failed to do anything meaningful with it. The usual quality we see from the Brazilian wasn’t there on this occasion.
Alvaro Morata – 5
Had a good opportunity in the first half when he rounded the Huddersfield goalkeeper, but had little time on the ball, and was beaten by Huddersfield defenders on a number of occasions.
Pedro – 4
Beyond quiet in the first half, as he didn’t offer anything going forward. The second half was similar, before he was taken off for Hazard.
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud – 6
Gave Chelsea a target to aim at in the second half, but was unable to be the super sub that the Blues needed.
Eden Hazard – 5
Looked off the pace when he came off the bench, and was perhaps carrying an injury. Chelsea need someone else to rely on when the Belgian cannot play.
