Chelsea overcame Reading thanks to a late turnaround, with goals from Gary Cahill, Fernando Torres and Branislav Ivanovic rescuing Roberto di Matteo's men. The Blues led through Frank Lampard but a superb headed equaliser from Pavel Pgrebnyak - and a massive blunder from Petr Cech - saw the Royals take a 2-1 lead into the half-time break. Here are the official TalkChelsea match ratings! Petr Cech - 5 - one blunder aside, Cech had a fair game. He was left grasping at thin air for Pogrebnyak's brilliant headed equaliser, which gave him no chance whatsoever. It was a brilliantly-taken goal that had a surprise element to it as well; it was highly unlikely that Cech was expecting such an audacious attempt. The error for Guthrie's free-kick was very poor - he totally lost the trajectory of the ball. Whether the new Premier League ball 'knuckles' like the 2010 World Cup 'Jabulani' ball or not is uncertain, but judging from the number of goalkeeping errors over the opening weekend, it is possible that this ball is susceptible to some unpredictable movement. Otherwise, Cech was his usual sound self and dominated his box, but worryingly his kicking was once again definitely below-par. Something for he and Christophe Lollichon to work on, you would imagine. Branislav Ivanovic - 4 - though he has begun the season in good goalscoring form (and, by that line of thought, basically picked up where he left off last term), Ivanovic had another shaky defensive performance last night. Known as Mr Reliable, the lack of competition for the right-back berth has led to the conclusion that Branislav is taking his place for granted, for this was another lackadaisical showing at the back. Going forward, he shows as much adventure as any other Premier League full-back, and another well-taken finish means it is five goals in his last eight league appearances. But at the back he is struggling - he was turned inside-out by Championship-quality players all night long, and for some reason he has developed a habit of almost refusing to close the crossing player down. A case study that springs to mind is when 1-2 down, he was almost at fault for the concession of a third as he played six Reading players onside from an Ian Harte free-kick. But for a better headed finish, that would have cost the Blues the game, most likely. Add that to an ever-increasing tendency to commit needless, cynical fouls, it is clear to see why Roman Abramovich has been persuaded to open the cheque-book and secure the services of Cesar Azpilicueta from Marseille... Gary Cahill - 7 - on his first competitive appearance of the season, Cahill was his usual, unspectacular-but-solid self alongside John Terry. Though at times he can be caught out of position, his drive from the back makes him a potent attacking outlet, and he scored the all-important equaliser from long-range; albeit with the considerable help of an Adam Federici blunder. Cahill is becoming a defensive lynchpin for the side, and though di Matteo is rotating both the Englishman and David Luiz as John Terry's defensive partner, it would appear that the ex-Bolton man is becoming more of a reliable cornerstone for the team than the skipper himself. Cahill enjoyed his physical contest with Pogrebnyak, and his organisation at set-pieces ensured that, on the whole, the Blues fared relatively when defending corner kicks; though Harte's delivery did cause some confusion at times. It is clear to see why Cahill's stock is so high with England manager Roy Hodgson, based on this sort of no-nonsense performance. John Terry - 6.5 - an average performance from the skipper where he hardly put a foot wrong - something that is a considerable improvement on his horror showing in the Community Shield. Terry has suffered a sudden and obvious decline over the past six months. Whilst his leadership qualities have only improved, his reading of the game has deteriorated, and like Ivanovic, he has had to resort to committing 'clever' fouls whenever he realises he has been caught out. Pogrebnyak totally dominated him in aerial challenges, but the Chelsea captain was resistant of anything else thrown at him, particularly as the first half came to the close and the visitors were in the ascendancy. Terry is still some way past his best, but he remains a pillar of strength and organisation. Ashley Cole - 8 - Chelsea's best player defensively and overall, one of the two best players on the pitch. Ashley Cole struggled at times last season, but something resembling a summer break has brought him back refreshed and revitalised. Cole is the only genuine width Chelsea have on the left-hand-side, leaving a clear imbalance to the side when going forward - and the weight of responsibility on his shoulders is truly testament to his ability. Cole does not only do his defensive duties well, but he also contributes massively in an attacking sense, as proved by the tremendous composure he showed to cross for Fernando Torres' late winner. Cole does this without neglecting his defensive role - the discipline he is able to show is what is keeping Ryan Bertrand firmly on the bench. The man is a Chelsea legend and if the Blues are to go on to win silverware this season, Ashley will undoubtedly be one of the reasons why. He is, and remains, the world's best left-sided full-back. John Mikel Obi - 6 - Mikel did nothing wrong last night. It was another quietly effective performance; the sort that divides Chelsea fans. Roberto di Matteo did the right thing in sacrificing the defensive midfielder part-way-through the second half, yet this was no fault of Mikel. His positional discipline really does bely his relative tender years. Mikel's importance to the side is really only noticed when the Blues are attacking; it is he that is first in to clear any pending danger and slots in as a third centre-back if necessary. He is forming a good partnership with Frank Lampard as one of two holding players, but yesterday he also expressed a more attacking side to his game with a couple of driving runs that put the Reading defence under pressure. Mikel has undoubted ability, but without doing anything wrong, he was correctly sacrificed by di Matteo in favour of the more attacking Daniel Sturridge as the Blues chased the game. Frank Lampard - 6.5 - Lampard got a lot of stick for his performance yesterday - I can't see why. His penalty was effortlessly dispatched with aplomb; Lamps has recently opted to go straight down the middle, but the perfect combination of placement and power left Federici with no chance whatsoever. He orchestrated the midfield from deep with the same sort of simple and straightforward performance that earns Paul Scholes national recognition from media and fans alike - yet Frank is lambasted for it. He has never been gifted with pace - instead it is his vision which makes him such a great midfielder. Whilst Hazard and Mata rely on trickery to advance forward, Lampard's absolute command of what is around him (aided by what appears to be 360 degree vision...) means he is only ever one simple touch and pass away from instigating another counter-attack. His goalscoring may, from this point on, suffer from this new withdrawn position in the side, but Lamps will only continue to battle away in his new creative role. His defensive qualities were highlighted on occasion as well; Frank was one of the few players who bothered to press when Chelsea lost possession. His effort and endeavour cannot be faulted, and whilst his performances may have dipped in comparison to the highs of his 27-goal-season back in 2009/10, Frank Lampard still remains Chelsea's most efficient - and important - player. Juan Mata - 5.5 - this is a man with undoubted quality, but with a massive need for a break. Mata began the game in full flow, and is demonstrating a good understanding with Eden Hazard, but by the second half, he was visibly shattered. Roberto needs to give the young man a break; he clearly lacks the same physical capacity of the Coles and Lampards of this world. Mata was very inventive in the first 25 minutes as Chelsea completely dominated the opening exchanges, but after Reading's quickfire turnaround, he suddenly faded out of the game and made a very limited contribution from this point. Though he went close with a couple of cultured efforts, Mata's performance once again suggested that three games in the space of a week is too much for him. Last season, he had the weight of expectation on his shoulders as he was Chelsea's only real creative player. After an impressive first season, he is expected to eclipse what he achieved in his debut campaign - but he clearly won't do this unless di Matteo rotates him with squad players like Yossi Benayoun and Michael Essien. Ramires - 6 - the Brazilian livewire returned after illness prevented him taking part in the win at Wigan, and he had a fair showing. Ramires' strengths lie in driving from deep - he is no right winger. The sooner di Matteo realises this, the better. Countless attacks break down down the Chelsea right because of the side's imbalance - Ivanovic and Ramires are hardly a natural pairing out on the right, and the quality of service into the box is quite poor, in truth. Whilst Ramires' effort is commendable, he is nothing more than a stop-gap option on the right, and di Matteo needs to address this whilst the transfer window is still open. He tested Federici early on with a rasping drive when he really should have squared to the unmarked Torres. Ramires seems out of his depth on the right, as it is not a position that plays to his strengths. This is a man with ceaseless energy and the gift of exceptional pace; his talents would better be used in his more natural deep, central role. At this moment, Danny Sturridge is a far better option for the right wing berth. Eden Hazard - 9 - last season, we were raving about Juan Mata with his season's tally of 19 assists. Hazard has over a quarter of that tally after just two matches. His effortless performance last night is a frightening warning to the rest of the Premier League. Fans were doubtful of his ability, especially when you consider the burden of a £32 million price tag - the difference between Hazard and the big name flops of the English top division is that he has the confidence, the swagger, to overcome that weight of expectation. Hazard has made a phenomenal rise to prominence and it is clear to see why, based on this performance. He is the ultimate team player. He tracks back and helps defend. He is the epitome of selflessness; instead of going for goal and capping off a memorable Stamford Bridge debut with the strike he deserved, he squared for Ivanovic to make it 4-2. He went close on a couple of occasions, and won the penalty for Lampard's opener. His trickery inside the box means defenders are scared whenever he is in possession; he is too quick to tackle, because of the risk involved. His clever turns have left countless players left for dead - he is the perfect man in the number 10 role for the Blues, and the ultimate tool to facilitate di Matteo's new counter-attacking philosophy. This was one very, very impressive home debut. Fernando Torres - 5 - the little lost sheep might have scored yesterday, but he endured another poor showing. To be fair, any striker would struggle in this set-up. We have to remember that Torres is not naturally a centre-forward, and with players like Ramires and Ivanovic on the right and no-one on the left, the only real service comes from Hazard and Mata in the middle. The beauty of Torres is that he very rarely gives up and he always continues to battle away, and he got his rewards for the persistence he continues to show with his late tap-in. However he should have already had two goals by that point - one when Ramires went for goal instead of passing, and another when he wastefully headed wide a superb cross from Hazard. That goes to show two things; that his team-mates do not fully trust him, and that his finishing ability has long-since diminished. Nevertheless, with two goals in three games, he has had a positive start to the season - I'm sure people would prefer for him to have poor games and score, than to play brilliantly without getting on the scoresheet! Substitutes The first player introduced by di Matteo was Brazilian prodigy Oscar who looked very nervy at first. He tested Federici with a low drive and linked up nicely with Mata and Hazard at points, but you could see the sense of the occasion affecting him. He replaced Ramires and yet played more centrally, again highlighting the need for wide players. Next to join the fray was Daniel Sturridge, who made the world of difference out on the right. His pace and vision caused problems for the Royals, and he certainly will be in contention for a starting place against Newcastle. Raul Meireles came on to sure up the win and though he gave the ball away a couple of times, he did well from a defensive perspective and made a couple of late blocks. The manager Roberto di Matteo may not be regarded as the most tactically-astute of coaches, but he made three excellent substitutions which turned the game on its head. The key decision was bringing on Sturridge, out wide, in place of Mikel. This gave Chelsea the width and impetus they needed to force the issue. Though Sturridge did not score, he did well in keeping Reading's full-backs busy, and he often found that midfield players would double up on him, creating space elsewhere. Sturridge is certainly a better option on the right than Ramires, and the manager will hopefully recognise this. It was a strange team performance, but that counts for very little - ultimately, the Blues boys have six points from six and are where many of us expect them to be - top of the league. Click here to view the article
