Chelsea V Wigan - player ratings

[Tomo 21,733]

I only saw the match from the 60th minute so i can't give a true assesment, but from what i saw, Benayoun MUST start in Manchester he was feeding Torres (who i thought changed the game) and if it weren't for the superb AL Habsi Torres could have got a goal possibly 2, they will come im sure of it.

But back to the topic how would you rate the players today?

[jteezy 39]

Cech: 7 - Did what he had to. Almost got caught out but still made the save

Ferreira: 6.5 Solid, made some runs down the flank too

Ivanovic: 6.5 - Some good runs up the wing. Saw some skill too! Made one disaster pass which was thankfully defended.

Luiz: 7.5 - Strong, quick interceptions as well as decorating our attack with some great footwork/ passing

Cole: 7 - Some good attacking play

Malouda: 5.5 - Shadow of the player he used to be. Scrappy goal but scored it nevertheless

Ramires: 7.0 - Hardworker, some good passing

Lampard: 6 - Some sloppy passing, disappointing

Mikel: 6.5 - Subbed too early, but didn't look too energetic anyway

Anelka: 6.5 - Some good link-up play with didier

Drogba: 7.5 - Started well, showed his strength multiple times. Looked very likely to score. Wasted some of his free kicks...

Subs

Benayoun 7 - Refreshing to see creativity as well as his style of play. Not perfect though, bit rusty I suspect

Torres 7 - Came so close to scoring, good game. Looks good with Benayoun

Alex 6.5 - Made some good tackles for the small amount of time he was on

Overall: 6

[ElNinoSemper 18]

Cech: 7 - Solid as always. He rarely has a bad game these days.

Ferreira: - 7 Gave a good account of himself. Would take him over Boswinga in this position any day.

Ivanovic: 6 - Solid if unspectacular. Would have been caught wanting had Wigan been a better side.

Luiz: 6 - Not a bad game but he picked up yet another yellow card. Starting to become a habit.

Cole: 6 - Quiet game from him imo.

Malouda: 5 - Another mediocre showing from him. Can't cross, can't pass, can't shoot. Still a goal is a goal and hopefully this will perk him up because his current form is worrying to say the least.

Ramires: 7 - Was all over the pitch, seemed to be the only one playing with any urgency at one point.

Lampard: 5 - Another shocker from 'super Frank'. Really hope he gets "rested" soon.

Mikel: 4 - Uncharacteristically sluggish today, we didn't miss him after he was subbed.

Anelka: 5 - Had a couple of decent passes but was pretty much invisible the rest of the time. Don't know what's up with him

Drogba: 8 - Lively game from him, first half stronger than the second. Is still our only good free kick taker.

Subs

Benayoun 7.5 - A welcome return. Looked pretty good for his first game back, and will only get better. Already having an impact with Torres.

Torres 7.5 - Saw glimpses of his magnificent skill. Had some great chances, and was mostly unlucky although his lack of confidence is also a factor. With Yossi back that should start to change soon.

Alex 6 - Also a good return, had some some decent tackles and managed not to look too rusty.

[SamTrueBlue 2]

IMO Torres changed the whole game, the croud game him a standing ovation and that pushed him on a little bit, should of scored on 1 occasion but great save from al habsi

[HRiver 1,512]

Cech - 8. Petr keeps showing us his great goalkeeping skills and reflexes. He has no doubt been the best performer of the club this season.

Ferreira: 7 - Much, much better than his compatriot Bosingwa. I didn't see him make one real mistake in defence, and he was always running forward trying to produce crosses and assists. Credit to Paulo, good game.

Ivanovic: 7 - Solid, done the job well.

David Luiz : 7 - When with the ball, he is awesome. Brings joy to the fans with his amazing skills when attacking, but defensively he should improve his attitude as he makes some silly fouls. As one of the commentators on TV said, he must know that he should not be the one with the ball all the time, he must be patient and take the ball from the opponent without creating fouls. We've seen Luiz do that in the game versus Fulham, where we could have easily been punished hadn't Cech saved Dempsey's penalty. We've seen him do it against United too, thankfully he wasn't sent off, against Stoke and today as well. But he will improve, no doubt about it. He's still young and will improve.

Cole: 6 - Not really spectacular today. But Wigan was always fighting to retain position and they were a tough side.

Malouda: 6 - He scored the winner, he deserves credit for it. Hadn't he scored, I'd give him a 5, but a goal is a goal no matter how it is scored, especially today's goal, as it proved to be the winner as well. I thought I saw a bit of improvement on Malouda, but he's always failing to cross, pass or get passed his opponents properly. Loses position easily.

Ramires: 7 - No doubt our best midfielder. He's everywhere and is a hard worker, he saved some really important lost balls today and defensively did a great job in taking the ball off Wigan players.

Lampard: 5 - It hurts me to admit it but Frank has been playing quite poor. In fact, I don't think that he contributes much to the team. Loses position, seems to be struggling to win battles one versus one and his passing isn't as it used to be. I feel that Ramires has taken his duties now.

Mikel: 5 - Didn't do much. Carlo did a good job on taking him off.

Anelka: 6 - Nico was quite quick when with the ball in his feet today. Managed to beat Wigan's defenders on some occasions and showed good skills and technique. Didn't do much else to be remembered though.

Drogba: 7 - I feel that Drogba's returning to his old form, owning the defenders when one versus one, and his crosses and assits are quite good. We saw that in the game against United as well.

SUBS

Benayoun: 7 - Showed great skills, technique and vision. I've mentioned it before he even returned on many threads that once he gets back, Torres will get a smile back on his face and will be much more likely to score.

Alex: 6 - Didn't do that much but made no mistakes, as far as I'm concerned he has not lost his great defensive skills and let's hope he hasn't. He should definitely start on Tuesday, with Ivanovic on the right.

Torres: 7 - Had some really great chances, but he was unlucky. Wigan's goalkeeper made a great save, and in the other chance he had his first touch wasn't that great though, I must admit. He could have done much better on that, he has no one but himself to blame for that wasted opportunity. He must have more confidence on himself.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

If this showed anything, it should Ancelotti was wrong not to start Torres. He would have scored if he'd have played the 90.

Cech - 7 - reliable and dependent as always. Best goalkeeper in the world.

Ferreira - 7 - always been a fan of Ferreira, and this demonstrates why. A consummate professional and still capable of putting in a very accomplished performance.

Ivanovic - 6 - the onus was on Ivanovic to marshal the defence without Terry there, and Bane did what was necessary. A solid but unspectacular game.

Luiz - 6 - the Luis hype has finally died down - which is good. Like Ivanovic, he had little to do but he did what was required with little fuss.

Cole - 6 - actually outshone by Ferreira, though there are signs that with a 4-3-3 being favoured, Cole will again be able to link up in a more meaningful attacking role.

Lampard - 6 - very unlucky not to score, but still a fair distance from his best. However, far better than his shocking performance against United.

Ramires - 7 - Ramires is what a classify as a 'roaming' midfielder, and that works against him when wide right in a 4-4-2. However, as a midfield destroyer in a 4-3-3, we see his all-round qualities - and he was one of our best players.

Mikel - 6 - glad to see him back. His individual performance is never spectacular, but his importance is such that he allows others alongside him to shine.

Anelka - 6 - excellent in chance creation but let down by a lazy final ball. Reverting to a 4-3-3 will not favour Anelka, but some genuine potency on the right is a fresh change.

Malouda - 7 - much, much better in a 4-3-3. His performance was not particularly brilliant but he offered a constant attacking outlet, and on another day (with al Habsi out of goal...), he might have scored a couple more.

Drogba - 8 - the only player who seemed to want it. Very impressed with his attitude and competent display - his form is returning.

Benayoun - 7 - creativity, at last. More of the same with Torres please.

Alex - 6 - like Ivanovic, he was professional in his performance and looked very neat alongside Luiz.

Torres - 7 - what is it with world-class saves? First van der Sar (and the post...) on Tuesday, and now al Habsi denying el Nino a goal with a stunning save. He seemed up for it today... 4-3-3 suits him more.

[Styles 9,790]

Cech 7

Ferreira 5

Ivanovic 7

Luiz 6

Ashley 6

Ramires 6

Mikel 6

Lampard 3

Malouda 5 (only the goal saved him from a much lower score)

Drogba 6

Anelka 3

Benayoun 6

Torres 6