Chelsea v Man.Utd player ratings

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Cech 7- Dealt well with balls in the air, couldn't do anything about the goal.

Ivanovic 6- had a couple of problems in dealing with the 2 on 1 against Nani and Evra but was fairly solid if unspectacular.

Luiz 8 MOTM- Excellent, hard to believe that its only his second start in English football. Very exciting defender, got caught a few times but that comes with the territory when you play like he does, some magnificent interceptions and tackles and a goal which showed stunning technique, the new Carvalho.

Terry 7- couple of bad passes but very solid at the back, sweeping up behind Luiz.

Cole 7- Got forward a couple of times buty couldn't make it count, defended well.

Ramires 8-Continues to impress and close to Luiz tonight in terms of quality imo. Played on the right hand side and was tireless, really turned it up in the second half.

Essien 7- Average first half, very good second half as he drove the team forward.

Lampard 7- Same as Essien really and hit a stunning penalty considering just how much pressure was on his shoulders.

Malouda 5- Started to get back into the groove recently but looked out of sorts today.

Anelka 5- Excellent against Copenhagen, not so good here, failed to get into the game.

Torres 6- Promising signs from the record signing, his link up play continues to improve, his dribbling and first touch were the best we have seen in a blue shirt and was unlucky to have a goal ruled out.

Zhirkov 7- Won the penalty, nearly scored with a wonderful volley from uotside the box, he needs to start against Blackpool.

Drogba 7- Ok, debatable rating but came on with exactly the right attitude having been dropped and effectively killed the game single handedly by dominating the ball in the corner for the extra time, which allowed Ramires to get Vidic sent off, maybe we could try starting Torres and Drogba up top in the 4-4-2?

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Some of you are either the harbingers or doom or wearing blue-tinted beer goggles.

Cech - 6 - had very little to do. Wasn't going to save Rooney's effort, but he did everything else with conviction and without too much trouble.

Ivanovic - 5 - I thought he had an off game, to be honest. Difficult circumstances for him though playing against such blinding pace and trickery, and he is getting reacquainted with the right-back role.

Terry - 7 - he was exposed on a number of occasions, but he was commanding in the air and led from the back.

Luiz - 7 - let's be realistic - he was very, very good, but he is a defender first and foremost. A wonderful goal, but he scares the shit out of me with some of the chances he takes. A quality act nonetheless.

Cole - 6 - a par performance from Cole; shame he didn't have any real shots considering his recent good form at hitting the target

Essien - 7 - Essien is back, ladies and gentlemen.

Ramires - 9 - a real gem of a player. And to think some of us doubted him at the start of the season. Our campaign for player of the year is currently between three men; Cech, Terry and Ramires.

Lampard - 7 - as with Essien, Lampard stepped his game up today. And he did that by doing the simple things; he was a threat form set-pieces and his passing was crisp and accurate.

Malouda - 5 - a frustrating performance, considering he got himself into a few decent positions for a cross or shot. Might have scored early on as well - an improvement in an attacking ense nonetheless.

Anelka - 6 - good movement, but he looked a little leggy.

Torres - 6 - as with Anelka, he was let down by service from out wide, but his 'goal' was sublime. He's slowly getting there - as soon as one goes in, the proverbial avalanche begins

Drogba, Zhirkov - 7 - both helped turn the game. Drogba looked seriously up for it.

[Rambo 1,729]

Some of you are either the harbingers or doom or wearing blue-tinted beer goggles.

Cech - 6 - had very little to do. Wasn't going to save Rooney's effort, but he did everything else with conviction and without too much trouble.

Ivanovic - 5 - I thought he had an off game, to be honest. Difficult circumstances for him though playing against such blinding pace and trickery, and he is getting reacquainted with the right-back role.

Terry - 7 - he was exposed on a number of occasions, but he was commanding in the air and led from the back.

Luiz - 7 - let's be realistic - he was very, very good, but he is a defender first and foremost. A wonderful goal, but he scares the shit out of me with some of the chances he takes. A quality act nonetheless.

Cole - 6 - a par performance from Cole; shame he didn't have any real shots considering his recent good form at hitting the target

Essien - 7 - Essien is back, ladies and gentlemen.

Ramires - 9 - a real gem of a player. And to think some of us doubted him at the start of the season. Our campaign for player of the year is currently between three men; Cech, Terry and Ramires.

Lampard - 7 - as with Essien, Lampard stepped his game up today. And he did that by doing the simple things; he was a threat form set-pieces and his passing was crisp and accurate.

Malouda - 5 - a frustrating performance, considering he got himself into a few decent positions for a cross or shot. Might have scored early on as well - an improvement in an attacking ense nonetheless.

Anelka - 6 - good movement, but he looked a little leggy.

Torres - 6 - as with Anelka, he was let down by service from out wide, but his 'goal' was sublime. He's slowly getting there - as soon as one goes in, the proverbial avalanche begins

Drogba, Zhirkov - 7 - both helped turn the game. Drogba looked seriously up for it.

good ratings, I thought Ramires was superb as well. His energy and pace was inspiring and really lifted the attack in the second half.

[zolayes 14,489]

good ratings, I thought Ramires was superb as well. His energy and pace was inspiring and really lifted the attack in the second half.

if we wired him up we could use him to power the floodlights and most of West London

[magic weeds 446]

Some of you are either the harbingers or doom or wearing blue-tinted beer goggles.

Cech - 6 - had very little to do. Wasn't going to save Rooney's effort, but he did everything else with conviction and without too much trouble.

Ivanovic - 5 - I thought he had an off game, to be honest. Difficult circumstances for him though playing against such blinding pace and trickery, and he is getting reacquainted with the right-back role.

Terry - 7 - he was exposed on a number of occasions, but he was commanding in the air and led from the back.

Luiz - 7 - let's be realistic - he was very, very good, but he is a defender first and foremost. A wonderful goal, but he scares the shit out of me with some of the chances he takes. A quality act nonetheless.

Cole - 6 - a par performance from Cole; shame he didn't have any real shots considering his recent good form at hitting the target

Essien - 7 - Essien is back, ladies and gentlemen.

Ramires - 9 - a real gem of a player. And to think some of us doubted him at the start of the season. Our campaign for player of the year is currently between three men; Cech, Terry and Ramires.

Lampard - 7 - as with Essien, Lampard stepped his game up today. And he did that by doing the simple things; he was a threat form set-pieces and his passing was crisp and accurate.

Malouda - 5 - a frustrating performance, considering he got himself into a few decent positions for a cross or shot. Might have scored early on as well - an improvement in an attacking ense nonetheless.

Anelka - 6 - good movement, but he looked a little leggy.

Torres - 6 - as with Anelka, he was let down by service from out wide, but his 'goal' was sublime. He's slowly getting there - as soon as one goes in, the proverbial avalanche begins

Drogba, Zhirkov - 7 - both helped turn the game. Drogba looked seriously up for it.

Almost correct ratings, though I feel Terry was very sloppy and gave away some simple balls. At his level, he cannot afford to do that. he misplaces a pass, suddenly there is no cover at the back and the opposition counter attack. I think he should maintain his solid way of defending and making his passes simple and precise. Sometime back, his passing rate was like 94percent or something, now imo, its 70. lol

[James 5,336]

he is overrating imo, look for ramires, cost much less and is much better!

I bet you were slaging Ramires off when he first joined aswell. Mug

[Kieran. 6,317]

Cech - 7 (Poor positioning on the goal, but decent performance)

Ivanovic - 6.5 (Some poor crosses, but overall solid)

Luiz - 8 (Should have been sent off and would have put a cloud over that great goal he scored. But he wasn't and we're still celebrating. )

Terry - 7.5 (Solid as always)

Cole - 6 (Average)

Essien - 8 (best match from him in a while)

Lampard - 7 (Finding his old self)

Malouda- 4 (Zhirkov should start.)

Ramires - 8 (Our most consistent player I have to say)

Torres - 7 (Had a good strike go in, only to be called off. He'll get his 1st soon.)

Anelka - 4 (we should only start him for CL matches cause that's when he shows up...)

Bosingwa - N/A

Drogba - 7.5 (Added extra energy to an already electric stadium, he and Ramires did an EXCELLENT job of wasting time)

Zhirkov - 7.5 (Good acting and a great strike unlucky to go in)

[Duppy Conqueror 1,557]

i don`t want to be the one to tell most you guys i told you so regarding Ramires, but i did, so i will..:champions:

love the way our boys,everyone of our outfield players hounded the mancs around the field in the second half. could see within a few minutes of the half that their players did not come out expecting that!

Chelsea in great form until Yuri goes down....Yuri comes back,Chelsea come back.

just saying...:eyebrows:

[Tortilla9 390]

So how he did play? And I've asked a couple of times already....where are good places to DL Chelsea games? Have read he had a goal disallowed early on?

Regarding Torres, he didn't play awful, didn't play great. The ratings here 6-7 seem about right.

His touch was much improved

His passing was better too

His movement was good

He's willing to take players on - sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't

Was decent in the air - would love to see somebody able to get a decent cross in the box because he can actually score of his head or volleys

He seemed to be looking for other players and had good linkup with Cole, Zhirkov, Lampard, Anelka, and Drogba (for the time they shared the pitch)

Does Malouda know Torres is on Chelsea now? Doesn't seem to see or want to pass to Torres

He kept the defense of Manchester honest, they had to account for him

His finish on the disallowed goal was actually quite nice.

At times he was very involved and other times he seemed to drift wide trying to find space, the ball, or something. Counted a few times when he was open, unmarked, waving for the ball. Think he and the team are still trying to find each other's wavelengths. Ex: Second half, he had the ball near the top of the 18, he passed to an overlapping Essien. It was a nice pass except Torres passed left and Essien went right.

I've seen Torres a lot and I've seen him get in the other team's faces, seen him seem disinterested, pouty, etc. Didn't really see that tonight. He seemed up for the challenge and kept working. He's never going to have the workrate of a Shrek but he has other positive attributes.

Think Torres will eventually score goals this season and get close to the 20 goal mark for the season (Liverpool and Chelsea combined). Think he'll be a bright spot next season with the summer off and this time with the team under his belt. He's a 5 1/2 year contract and hopefully he's part of a bright future for Chelsea.

No matter what Carlo says about scoring for Torres, he's a striker and the goals need to come. Have belief they will.

[crazy1 24]

Cech - 6.5

Ivanovic - 7

Luiz - 8.5

Terry - 7.5

Cole - 6.5

Ramires - 8

Essien - 8

Lampard - 6

Malouda - 4.5

Anelka - 5

Torres - 6.5

Drogba - 7.5

Zhirkov - 7.5

Bosingwa - N/A

[BlueLion. 21,491]

The Guardian's player ratings:

Petr Cech - 6/10 It was startling to see the Czech, so consistent in recent weeks, beaten from distance at his near post, his reactions delayed as he flopped down and the chance flew into the corner. But he was slightly more reassuring when United pressed late on.

Branislav Ivanovic - 6

Evra and Nani tested him at right-back, exposing him at times, and he was dawdling as Rooney turned and fizzed in the visitors' opener. Happier when restored to the centre late on.

John Terry - 7

Clearly enjoys working with David Luiz, with the captain content to sit deep and allow his partner to maraud forward in possession. Chelsea's needed his strength at times to keep the visitors at bay.

David Luiz - 8

Continues to catch the eye at either end, clearing from Fletcher's centre and dispatching a volley with his weaker foot to claw the hosts level. Booked and, perhaps, fortunate that one off-the-ball incident with Rooney went unpunished.

Ashley Cole - 6

His early attacking touches provoked the inevitable chorus of "shoot" from the stands, but he was pinned back until the interval. Chelsea worked to liberate him thereafter, and his threat grew.

Ramires - 7

Meanders in-field so often that Chelsea lack width on their right, particularly with Ivanovic only a sporadic attacking force. But his energy erupted at times. Booked for late lunge at Carrick.

Michael Essien - 6

Nominally the most defensive of Chelsea's central midfielders, but bypassed when United built up a head of steam and passed around him. His dynamism is not what it once was. Booked.

Frank Lampard - 7

His penalty was dispatched with gusto, and he would have enjoyed the space that opened up after the interval as Chelsea pushed higher to discomfit the league leaders, even if sights of goal from open play were rare.

Florent Malouda - 5

Should have scored with virtually his first touch, scuffing a shot from just inside the area straight at Van der Sar, and his evening did not improve much after that. His form has rather dwindled.

Fernando Torres - 7

The wait for his first Chelsea goal is prolonged. The initial surge had been so promising, his interchanges with Anelka a continuation of events in Copenhagen, yet his early strike was ruled out .

Nicolas Anelka - 6

Had started so well, setting up Malouda with a fine opportunity after gliding into space, and enjoying his partnership with Torres. But, starved of the ball, his threat was steadily reduced.

Subs Drogba for Anelka, 61, Zhirkov for Malouda, 71, Bosingwa for Luiz, 81

Subs not used Turnbull, Ferreira, Bosingwa, Kalou, McEachran.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/01/chelsea-manchester-united-player-ratings

[Tomo 21,751]

The guardians rating for Micheal Essien is a joke, he was fantastic all night.

[zagger 47]

The guardians rating for Micheal Essien is a joke, he was fantastic all night.

Whats his rating? I think he should have 8 eve though he messed up some easy passes, but imo he was fantastic too!

[Tomo 21,751]

Whats his rating? I think he should have 8 eve though he messed up some easy passes, but imo he was fantastic too!

Alex (Blue Lion) has the guardian ratings above

[GodZola 630]

Anyone that's given Maloulda more than a 2 needs to go to specsavers! :eyebrows:

Just didn't perform, gave the ball away far too much, didn't offer anything as an attacking threat & should of been halled off at half time, we looked so much better when Zhirkov came on.

Luiz had another good game going forward but on last nights evidence he has to improve defensively, great strike though & it will be interesting to see where Ancelotti decides to play him on Alex's return as Luiz looks as though he could slot into midfield comfortably.

[Peace. 4,352]

Cech - 6 - I think he should have stop the first goal, but I guess he was scared by Ronney's face. Otherwise at the end he was very good.

Ivanovic - 6 - Not his best game, he was sometimes in troubles. But considering his pace and Nani's pace, he's done a good game.

David Luiz - 8 - A warrior. He's amazing as f-ck. I guess we could play him as a striker. What a lovely goal. And I love his celebration lol.

Terry - 7

Cole - 6

Ramires - 8 - If he keeps improving like that, he will be seen as good as Messi and CR7 lol.

Essien - 6.5 - He's on his way back.

Lampard - 6.5 - His better game so far.

Malouda - 2 - He should have scored on his first chance at the 5 minutes mark... Poor game.

Anelka - 6 - He started very well the game, but after 20 minutes he seemed to be the ol' Anelka.

Torres - 6 - He fits more and more the team. I think he only lacks one goal to gain a fully confidence.

Zhirkov - 7 - He got us a penalty and he played very well.

Drogba - 7 - This is the Drogba that I like, showing motivation.

[zolayes 14,489]

the mail ...made Rooney MOM ...tells everything about them

[zolayes 14,489]

The guardians rating for Micheal Essien is a joke, he was fantastic all night.

for younger and overseas members.

The Guardian was until fairly recently called "The Manchester Guardian " printed in Manchester ...

[Tomo 21,751]

the mail ...made Rooney MOM ...tells everything about them

[MetsajCFC 1,255]

<span style="color: rgb(63, 67, 73);">Cech - 6.5 <br>

Ivanovic - 6.5 - Great assist for Luiz, defensively average tonight<br>

David Luiz - 8.5 - MOTM<br>

Terry - 7<br>

Cole - 7 - Ran up and down that flank all night, great to see him playing with passion<br>

<br>

Ramires - 8 - Absolute warrior, keep it up<br>

Essien - 6.5<br>

Lampard - 7<br>

Malouda - 3 - Should have scored, poor attitude, poor vision and distribution<br>

<br>

Anelka - 4<br>

Torres - 6.5 - Didn't score but can't come much closer - a disallowed goal which really could easily be allowed, great dribble and wanted to play, wanted to pass and shoot, improving every day<br>

<br>

Zhirkov - 7 - Impact was amazing, earned penalty, hunger<br>

Drogba - 7 - Like the commentator said "That's one angry man right there", full of motivation, showed passion and GREAT ball control. Urged his team mates from the sidelines, communicated with fans to make more noise, brilliant Drogba. That's who we've been missing aswell. Torres-Drogba back on agenda<br><br><br><br>Conclusion: Torres-Drogba start, Zhirkov to start<br></span>