Chelsea came away victors against Sheffield United thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea recorded a third win in as many home games to arrest a two-game losing streak in the Premier League. There was no much-anticipated appearance for Christopher Nkunku but the Blues will be content to come away with three points.
An uninspiring first half saw Chelsea struggle to find their way into the opposition box with only a Conor Gallagher strike able to find the target. There was perhaps some concern Chelsea would follow the same patterin in the second period but Cole Palmer had other ideas.
The former Man City youngster first came crashing in to finish Raheem Sterling's pass across the box before turning supplier for Nicolas Jackson who was able to tap in at the back post. It was a double that lifted Chelsea spirits and confidence on the pitch and in the crowd.
football.london rates the players' performances below:
Djordje Petrovic - The Serbian wasn't required to make a save until the 70th minute. 6.
Axel Disasi - Solid but limited at full back where his passing came under scrutiny. 6.
Thiago Silva - A couple of uncertain touches early on but defended well against the United attack and generally returned to his composed self on the ball. Strong in the air too against physical opposition. 6.
Benoit Badiashile - His blushes were spared by Raheem Sterling after some poor control but the Frenchman put in a solid outing and rarely looked troubled in defensive moments. 6.
Levi Colwill - Looked to get forward on occasion but not too frequenlty and delivered a solid display all-round. 6.
Moises Caicedo - The Ecuador international was tenacious in winning the ball back and collecting it from his defenders too. Promising improvement albeit under limited pressure. 7.
Conor Gallagher - Aggressive in winning the ball back and his interceptions appeared to be the lone way the Blues could earn an opportunity early in the game. 7.
Raheem Sterling - His runs and crossed were fairly stifled in the first half but he took control in the box early in the second to find some room to deliver the ball to Cole Palmer to fire in. 6.
Cole Palmer - Quiet to start the game but the 21-year-old was still one of the more likely players on the pitch to create something. Moved to the right in the second half and his change of direction saw Max Lowe falling to the floor before Palmer's shot was blocked. It wasn't long until he was running into the box to give Chelsea the lead. Delivered a composed ball across the box to find Nicolas Jackson when everyone else had stopped. Brilliant second half. 8.
Mykhailo Mudryk - Looked to create in the opening half and showed flashes of his ability with a clever nutmeg. End product was lacking but still a threat. 5.
Nicolas Jackson - For a long time it looked like Jackson would earn anything but the lifting of the linesman's offside flag but he remained persistent to tap in when others had stopped playing. The final 15 minutes saw the Senegal international move to the left wing. 6.
Substitutes
Enzo Fernandez - Looked very active upon his introduction as space opened up for the Blues following their lead. 6.
Armando Broja - Provided a physical presence up front to aim and produced some really good combination play but missed a huge opportunity from Palmer's cross. 6.
Malo Gusto - Not enough time to make an impact.
Ian Maatsen - Not enough time to make an impact.
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