Nottingham Forest 0 – 3 Chelsea: Chelsea player ratings
Chelsea player ratings
Chelsea produced a dominant second-half performance to blow away Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground — a result that brings much-needed momentum to Enzo Maresca’s evolving young side. While the first 45 minutes were nervy and disjointed, the introduction of Moisés Caicedo and Marc Guiu at the break completely changed the game. Pedro Neto was electric, Reece James was outstanding, and 18-year-old Josh Acheampong grabbed a memorable first senior goal.
Here’s how the players rated on a strong afternoon for the Blues:
Robert Sanchez – 7/10 – Did well to keep a clean sheet and made a couple of smart stops to deny Milenkovic and Sangarre. Could have been better with his feet in the first half.
Reece James - 9.5/10 – Excellent performance from the skipper claiming a goal and an assist. Showed immense strength and composure on the ball and led from the front even when Chelsea were under pressure. Built upon a series of good performances now that he is beginning to look fully fit.
Josh Acheampong – 8.5/10 – Very solid and took his goal well. Showed maturity well beyond his years and displayed superb ball carrying ability when stepping into midfield. The performance should go a long way to cementing a run of games in the side for him.
Trevor Chalobah – 6.5/10 – Contributed to a good clean sheet away from home. Was sloppy on the ball in the first half, improved a lot in the second.
Marc Cucurella – 7/10 – Cucurella continued his impressive run of form of consistently good performances every week. Making a strong case for the best left back in the league.
Malo Gusto – 2/10 – A poor performance from Gusto, who looked out of place in the first half in midfield up against Eliot Anderson and the strong Sangarre. Stupid challenge in the second half saw him sent off which shows a lack of discipline.
Romeo Lavia – 6/10 – A decent performance from Lavia but only played 45 mins given his injury record. He had some bright moments and his ability to receive the ball under pressure was clear to see. He was sloppy at points and would benefit from playing in a partnership with Caicedo.
Andrey Santos – 5/10 – We are yet to see the best out of the talented Brazilian who appeared a bit weak in the 45 minutes he played. He also missed a big chance after Joao Pedro sent him through on goal.
Garnacho – 4/10 – A poor performance from Garnacho who never really got going on the left flank, hence his halftime substitution.
Joao Pedro – 7/10 – Showed magnificent skill at points in the game leaving some Forest defenders mesmorised. Appears to be a more natural number 10 given his tendency to drop into the pockets. Became better once a more recognised striker in Guiu came on in the second half.
Pedro Neto – 9.5/10 – Neto was sensational and clearly was all over his fullback, both on the left and right hand side. His crossing ability is top drawer and if he can add goals to his game he can really kick on under Maresca.
SUBS
Marc Guiu – 6.5/10 – (45 mins) - Was very effective and elevated the whole team performance when he came on. Was a strong, physical presence and occupied the Forest centre halves making intelligent runs in behind. Meant that the likes of Joao Pedro could get on the ball more and create.
Jamie Gittens – 5/10 – (45 mins) – Did not have a huge impact on the game but will be hopeful he can build upon his performance in the international break for England U21 where he recorded an assist.
Moises Caicedo – 7.5/10 – (45 mins) - Achieving a 7.5 out of 10 from 45 minutes of football says a lot about this guy. One of the world’s best who appears to have everything a CDM needs to flourish. People are running out of superlatives to describe this guy – proper player.
Estevao – N/A – (12 mins)
Tosin – N/A – (9 mins)
