Stoke vs Chelsea Player Ratings

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Jonathan Walters had a game to forget despite making a record 72nd consecutive start for an outfield player after scoring two own goals and missing a late penalty.

Frank Lampard, who was named Chelsea's captain for the day, capped off an excellent outing after converting a penalty while Eden Hazard grabbed a wonder goal for himself late on to seal the win.

Stoke

Asmir Begovic - 7.5

Begovic showed an unorthodox style of goalkeeping in the match by pulling off three excellent saves with his right foot. Despite conceding four goals, Begovic gave an excellent account of himself, which is no wonder why he is linked with clubs like Manchester United.

Geoff Cameron - 7

Cameron was tidy on the right flank and nullified any Chelsea threat coming from there. He even managed to go up and assist Walters on the attack on the rare occasions where Stoke ventured into Chelsea's half.

Robert Huth - 7.5

The former Chelsea defender was tasked to stick to Ba and he performed the task admirably - up to the point that it was surprising he did not follow Ba off the pitch when the striker was brought off.

Ryan Shawcross - 6

With Huth occupied with tracking Ba, Shawcross took up the task of defending crosses and he was immense in the air, reading Chelsea's passes and flicks into the area easily to cut them out. However, he seemed to have switched off towards the end of the half and botched a headed clearance which eventually led to Walters' first own goal.

Andy Wilkinson - 5.5

Wilkinson had a poor game going up against the mercurial Hazard and spent most of his game chasing back towards his own goal. He did put in an excellent challenge to deny Ramires an open shot on goal in the 34th minute but he was clearly outclassed by Hazard on the flanks.

Glenn Whelan - 4.5

Whelan had a horrid game in terms of passing the ball. He lost the ball in the first minute to Mata in his own area which, fortunately for him, did not lead to anything, and it set the tone for the match as he continued to ping miscued passes into the path of Chelsea players. He also failed to track the movements of Chelsea's midfielders Lampard and Ramires, allowing them opportunities to make runs into the area.

Steven Nzonzi - 6.5

Stoke fans must be glad for the return of Nzonzi to midfield after his red card against Southampton was rescineded. The former Blackburn man was excellent handling the ball in the middle and brought he play forward well. He seemed confident enough to take on Chelsea's star-studded squad and had the quality to match them as well. He had his side's best chance with an excellent fierce shot saved by Cech in the second half.

Charlie Adam (Off 78') - 6.5

Adam was Stoke's biggest weapon in the first half with his accurate crosses across midfield and his delivery into the box. Stoke earned many corner kicks from his passes but they failed to convert any of them. His presence on the game faded away as the game wore on and he was eventually brought off for Dean Whitehead.

Jonathan Walters - 6.5

It won't be surprising if any footballer having an unlucky day say that they were "having a Walters" after his hardworking performance was rewarded with two own goals (which he couldn't help) and miss a penalty off the crossbar. Walters was Stoke's most dangerous player going forward and he managed to get past Cole on a few occasions when going forward. He even won the penalty late in the game but contrived to miss it - not the best way to celebrate a record-breaking 72nd consecutive league start for an outfield player.

Matthew Etherington (Off 86') - 5

Etherington had a fairly successful outing going forward without Hazard tracking back too much but his delivery was horrendous considering the amount of chances he had going forward. He was no match for Hazard tracking back as well and provided little cover for Wilkinson.

Kenwyne Jones (Off 78') - 4.5

The big striker had a poor game. His side's game plan revolved around him getting to the aerial balls up front but he failed to create even half a chance with his headers. He had a great early chance to put his side ahead after pouncing on a loose rebound but failed to put the ball on target.

Substitutes

Cameron Jerome (On 78') - N/A

Dean Whitehead (On 78') - N/A

Michael Kightly (On 86') - N/A

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 6.5

Cech was hardly tested all match except for early in the second half when he was called upon to tip Nzonzi's powerful shot over with an excellent save.

Branislav Ivanovic - 6.5
Ivanovic had a steady game after his shocker of a performance midweek against Swansea. He was on hand to clear away any Stoke threat from the box to restrict Jones' chances.

Ashley Cole - 6

Cole bombed forward to aid in the attack well but frequently left space behind in the defence for Walters to exploit. Fortunately for him, Chelsea's central defenders were on hand to deal with Jones, who wasn't having a good game anyway.

David Luiz - 7.5

Luiz returned to the heart of defence and put in an excellent shift to dominate Jones. It must have been hard for the Brazilian to resist the temptation to go up after his recent adventures in midfield but he stuck to his task well.

Cesar Azpilicueta (Off 82') - 6.5

The Spaniard had a rather easy game going up against Etherington and provide crosses into the box on the overlap for Chelsea.

Ramires - 5.5

Ramires had a poor first half - he lost track of Adam in the ninth minute and committed a cynical foul which he was lucky not to be booked for. He also lost out on several challenges, which was exacerbated by the fact that he chose to stay down on all these occasions. Yes, he is hardworking and a credit to his team but football should not condone players who acted like he did.

Frank Lampard - 8

How long more can Chelsea insist that they will not retain Lampard with him putting in stellar performances? He was excellent for Chelsea with both his short and long passes - it was his long pass which led to Mata winning the penalty - while his late runs into the box always looked like a threat to Stoke. Named captain for the match, Lampard thoroughly deserved a goal to cap of an excellent performance.

Juan Mata (Off 78') - 7.5
Mata linked up play well for his side into the final third but the dangerous killer pass was missing from him this time. He was a constant thorn in Stoke's defence and won a penalty for Lampard with a silky first touch to bring the ball down in the box.

Ryan Bertrand - 5.5
Bertrand's presence in the match was probably meant to quell Stoke's counter-attacking threat down their right flank but Bertrand ended up not helping the matter at all as Walters and Cameron were Stoke's most effective route up front in the game. The 23-year-old's presence was hardly felt both offensively and defensively.

Eden Hazard - 8
Hazard was Chelsea's brightest player from the start and got into dangerous positions to threaten the Stoke goal where his tricky play and mercurial speed had the defenders back-pedalling a lot of the time. The Belgian star ended the game with a sublime goal where he turned two defenders out before  unleashing a thunderbolt of a shot with his left foot.

Demba Ba (Off 70') - 6.5

Ba led the line well with many smart lay-offs to play his team mates into dangerous areas. However, he had less joy in terms of goalscoring chances going up against an excellent Huth.

Substitutes
Fernando Torres (On 70') - 5.5

He came on for Ba but did nothing to catch the eye against a strong Stoke defence.

John Terry (On 78') - N/A

Ferreira (On 82') - N/A