Graham Potter’s Chelsea suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League as they were defeated 1-0 at Stamford Bridge against London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
The Blues got off to a slow start early on against the Gunners, allowing the visitors to take control and dictate possession.
It was a scrappy first 45 between the London clubs, both sides were not performing to their best but the biggest chance fell the way of Gabriel Jesus who failed to convert from Gabriel Martinelli’s cross.
Advert
The teams went into the break goalless and as they began the second half, the game continued in a similar fashion.
Arsenal always looked the stronger side and eventually the pressure told, some woeful defending from a corner allowed defender Gabriel Magalhaes to prod home and give the Gunners the lead.
The visitors continued to control the game, and although Chelsea did wake up in the closing moments, they failed to create any real clear cut chances.
Advert
In the interim, here is how Absolute Chelsea rated the players’ performances against Arsenal.
Edouard Mendy - 5/10
There were some shaky moments when the Senegalese goalkeeper got the ball at his feet but he managed to avoid any major mistakes. He dealt with most things well and cannot be blamed for the goal which was more down to the shocking defending in front of him.
Advert
Cesar Azpilicueta - 5/10
Was a challenging test for the experienced defender against Martinelli. The Brazilian fashioned some good openings and chances but overall the Chelsea captain managed to minimise the threats.
Thiago Silva - 6/10
Best of a bad bunch and rather classy as per usual, made a superb block early on to deny Jesus a clear shot on goal. Was barking out the orders and organising the defence from the first minute. So calm whenever in possession and distributed well from the back. Got caught out once by Jesus which could have been costly but Mendy made a solid stop to deny the attacker. Was one of the players at the front post for the corner that cut the Blues open.
Advert
Trevoh Chalobah - 6/10
Has been a reliable option at the back for Chelsea with the injuries to Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly and was solid once again against Arsenal. Picked up a yellow card in the second half to cover up a clumsy mistake from Marc Cucurella.
Marc Cucurella - 5/10
Advert
Was rather isolated in his left-back role and faced a tough battle with Saka. The Spaniard handled it relatively well and was clearly up for the challenge. After a disappointing display against his previous side Brighton last weekend he looked much more comfortable and up for it against the Gunners.
Jorginho - 6/10
Alongside Silva, the Italian was probably the best performer for the Blues today. He had to hold down the midfield and he kept Chelsea in this game. Played some good progressive passes and defended well. Was a victim of the poor players around him.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 5/10 (78)
Returned to the squad in a central role after only coming off the bench in Europe. Was not at the level of his counterpart Jorginho in the middle of the park and looked off the pace. Failed to get any real control and did not get many chances to run with the ball and progress it forward.
Mason Mount - 4/10 (78)
He picked up the Man of the Match award in midweek but came nowhere near that kind of performance on Sunday. Really struggled to create openings for the Blues and failed to link plays between the defence and attack. Needs to be stepping up in games like this rather than falling away,
Raheem Sterling - 3/10
After a goal in midweek in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb Sterling would have been wanting to add another to his Chelsea tally against the north London side, however he hardly had any involvement. For somebody who has performed and played in such big games it was an extremely disappointing display.
Kai Havertz - 3/10 (63)
Allowed the ball to go through his legs from an Arsenal corner which trickled its way through to find Gabriel for the opening goal. While he got into some good positions he struggled to create anything substantial. Really lacked composure in the final third and was comfortably dealt with by the Arsenal backline. Kept on pushing and was a threat, but he failed to capitalise on anything.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 4/10 (63)
The Gabonese striker would have had high hopes of a special return against his former club but he struggled to get involved. The team around him performed poorly, giving him little service, but he needs to be doing more.
Bench
Armando Broja - 6/10 (63)
Was a bright addition to the game, offered much more than Aubameyang in his 30 minutes on the pitch.
Conor Gallagher - 5/10 (63)
Has been useful off the bench this season but failed to really change the game after he came on.
Mateo Kovacic - 5/10 (78)
Disappointing that the Croatian did not start this one as he probably would have given Chelsea more control in the match.
Christian Pulisic - 5/10 (78)
The American had little time to make an impact on the game.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Arsenal, Premier League, Football