Chelsea vs Norwich Player Ratings

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Grant Holt opened the scoring for Norwich against the run of play early in the game but Chelsea struck back minutes later via a Fernando Torres header before the Blues blitzed clear to a 3-1 lead into the break with a trademark Frank Lampard shot from outside the box and a Eden Hazard goal on the counter.

Chelsea were in cruise control and Branislav Ivanovic saw off the game in the second half with a stinging shot to make it 4-1 and extend his side's lead at the top of the table. 

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 6.5
Cech was rarely tested in goal by the uncoordinated Norwich attack and could do little to save Grant Holt's rocket of a volley.

Branislav Ivanovic (Off 78') - 7.5
The Serb bombed forward frequently and provided width for his side, grabbing an assist and a goal for himself. However, he was not as stable defensively and was caught out of position on a few occasions while defending, allowing Bradley Johnson to make a few through passes down his flank.

John Terry - 6
Terry was poor by his usual high standards. He was frequently beaten by Grant Holt in the air and his sole attempt at an attacking run ended up with him passing the ball out to touch under little pressure. Perhaps the prospect of a ban is distracting him.

David Luiz - 7
Luiz curbed his ‘Playstation' runs and held his defensive line well. He also provided an outlet for his side to build up play on and was steady at the back.

Ashley Cole - 6.5
Cole did not seem disturbed by the jeers that went his way after his unwise tweet on Friday and put in a hardworking shift down the left for his side. His crossing is still suspect but he was better than Ivanovic defensively, keeping his flank quiet for most of the game.

Frank Lampard - 7.5
Lampard was given lots of space by the retreating Norwich midfield and he made use of it well, controlling the play from deep by distributing it to Chelsea's trio of attacking midfielders. Not to mention the trademark late shot that gave his side the second goal of the game.

John Obi Mikel (Off 83') - 7
Mikel has been panned by critics for being Chelsea's weak point but, to be fair, he put in a steady shift, making tidy challenges and playing simple passes to keep the ball while making the physical challenges early. Unfancy - but efficient.

Eden Hazard (Off 67') - 7.5
Hazard was a constant threat to Norwich, picking the ball up early and linking up with Mata well while his running constantly dragged the defenders out of position to create space in the box. His goal on the break when he latched on to Mata's through ball mere second after defending a corner is a testament to the speed and technical ability the 21-year-old possesses.

Oscar - 7.5
The Brazilian seems to have cemented his spot in Chelsea's starting eleven, making his fourth straight league start for the Blues and his performance would not have detracted his reputation. Oscar was always hovering outside the box and threatening with mazy runs and link up play.

Juan Mata - 8.5
Mata must be hurt by the barely-justified decision to leave him out of the Spain national squad but Chelsea fans should be rejoicing to be able to keep the in-form playmaker from the international fixtures.

He was sublime in the match, being involved in three of Chelsea's four goals and always looked like creating something when he had the ball at his feet. The only thing missing for him was a goal, but it should not detract from the fact that he was Chelsea's star in the match.

Fernando Torres - 7.5
Playing his seventh game in 21 days, Torres did well to get on the scoresheet with a steady header and trouble Norwich with his movements and closing down. 

Substitutes

Ramires (On 67') - 6
Ramires came on and gave a flagging Chelsea midfield a useful energy boost in the second half.

Cesar Azpilicueta (On 78') - N/A

Oriol Romeu (On 83') - N/A

Norwich

John Ruddy - 5
He was more let down by his defenders than anything else and could do little against a star-studded Chelsea attack that struck four well-taken goals past him.

Russell Martin - 5
Martin was almost constantly facing two Chelsea players and spent most of the time chasing shadows of Chelsea's midfield. He still did well enough to not concede any silly mistakes.

Leon Barnett - 4
It's no surprise that all of Chelsea's goals came from his side of the back for. Barnett managed to win the aerial battle against Torres at times but switched off way too often, inviting Chelsea to exploit the space and score.

Sebastien Bassong (Off 78') - 6
The steadier of the two defenders, Bassong came out to make early challenges and covered up for his defensive partner well enough. The scoreline would surely have been more embarrassing if not for him.

Javier Garrido - 5
Garrido bore the brunt of Chelsea's attack and was outmatched by the likes of Mata and Hazard choosing to combine down his flank.

Bradley Johnson (Off 68')- 6
He saw little of the ball but always tried to make things happen for his side by making runs down the line and playing through balls.

Jonny Howson - 5
Howson was full of running but to little avail. He resembled the little boy in the playground who was forced to play tag but couldn't chase down his faster friends.

Elliot Bennett - 5
Bennett did not offer much threat going forward but helped out his defence well, making a few challenges when Chelsea looked like threatening.

Wes Hoolahan - 6
Hoolahan looked like the most likely Norwich player to burst on the counter but saw little of the ball thanks to Chelsea's stout defending. His crosses were always most likely to threaten Chelsea though.

Alexander Tettey - 4
The Norwegian was poor and inconsistent, wasting chances when he had the ball in the box, heading when he should have shot and shooting when he should have headed.

Grant Holt (Off 77') - 7.5
The result was harsh on Holt, who showed that he is a notch above his team mates and could make a good case for an England call-up.

He held the ball up well and played his team mates in to good positions, only for them to let him down. Holt's goal was a belter, lashing a volley into the bottom corner of the net which left Cech withno chance to save it.

Substitutes

Anthony Pilkington (On 68') - 5.5
After spending the start of the season sidelined due to injury, Pilkington's return should be a welcome sight for Norwich fans but he could not find his groove after coming on for Johnson.

Steve Morison (On 77') - N/A

Ryan Bennett (On 78') - N/A