Edouard Mendy and N’Golo Kante were among those who impressed as Chelsea played out a goalless draw with Leeds United on Saturday.
In a match that boasted some exciting attacking talent, clear-cut chances came at a premium, although both goalkeepers did have a couple of big saves to make. Edouard Mendy’s stop to deny Jack Harrison particularly stood out, but with the moves not really flowing seamlessly, the game fizzled out into a goalless draw.
The result meant Chelsea missed the opportunity to leapfrog Leicester City in the Premier League table and move into the third spot. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Thomas Tuchel’s men following a drab stalemate with Leeds on Saturday afternoon.
Edouard Mendy: 8/10
The clear standout for Chelsea, Mendy made as many as four saves in the game to preserve his clean sheet, with the stop to deny Jack Harrison in the second half standing out. Completed an impressive 32 of 35 attempted passes as well. A solid day’s work.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
Camped on the right side, Azpilicueta was tested a great deal by Leeds on the day, but the Chelsea captain was shining bright all through the game. Made 5 clearances while winning 4 duels. Having said that, his output on the ball did leave a little to be desired, as he lost possession 20 times. His solidity off the ball made up for it, however.
Andreas Christensen: 7/10
There was one moment when Christensen put Chelsea under tremendous pressure, giving the ball away cheaply only to go unpunished from Leeds. The Dane, though, won 5 duels while making 3 clearances, all while maintaining an excellent passing rate of 93 percent and losing the ball just 6 times all game.
Antonio Rudiger: 7/10
Returning to the heart of the Chelsea defence, Rudiger was a solid customer at the back, dealing with the threat of the nippy Raphinha ably. The German international made 6 critical clearances in the game while also winning 5 duels, although he invited some pressure with his poor decision-making on the ball and lost possession 15 times. Decent enough, though.
Ben Chilwell: 6/10
Back in the starting lineup, this was one of the poorer displays by Chilwell, although he was not really calamitous. The English international had a paltry pass completion rate of 65 percent, losing possession a staggering 21 times. In the defensive phase, though, he did reasonably well, making 5 interceptions and 4 tackles. Needed better output on the ball, however.
N’Golo Kante: 7/10
The standout midfielder for Chelsea, Kante produced an all-action display that we have come to expect from him over the years. The Frenchman saw the ball the most (106 touches) and even created a game-high 3 chances while also getting into promising scoring areas a couple of times. Off the ball, he won 9 duels while completing 4 clearances, 3 interceptions and 3 tackles. Solid as you like.
N'Golo Kante's game by numbers for Chelsea vs. Leeds:
106 touches
88% passing accuracy
14 duels
11 ball recoveries
5/6 take-ons completed
4 clearances
3 tackles
3 chances created
2 interceptions
1 block
1 shot
1 foul wonHe was everywhere, LITERALLY. ? pic.twitter.com/D63EaN1af3
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 13, 2021
Jorginho: 6/10
While Kante was once again excellent in midfield, Jorginho blew hot and cold in this outing. The Italian international was typically precise on the ball for the most part, but came off as a bit suspect off it, struggling to cope with the movement and trickery of Raphinha, in particular, and was dribbled past 4 times.
Christian Pulisic: 5/10
Amid growing uncertainty over his Chelsea future, Pulisic was handed his first start under Thomas Tuchel and the USMNT international failed to grab his opportunity. Hardly misplaced a pass but did not utilise the ball as well as he could have done while not managing to muster up enough quality in his shots either.
Hakim Ziyech: 5/10
A game to forget for Ziyech, who just did not manage to get himself into the proceedings. The Moroccan did play a game-high 3 key passes, but was utterly wasteful on the ball as well, completing just 71 percent of his passes while also flitting in and out of the game at an alarming rate. Needs to do better.
Mason Mount: 6/10
A game of hits and misses for Mount. The English international saw plenty of the ball against Leeds on Saturday, but he could not manage to influence the game as much as he does usually, managing just the solitary chance while losing the ball 17 times. A rare off day.
Kai Havertz: 6/10
Played through the centre once again, this time as more of a traditional striker, Havertz posed a great deal of threat in the final third. Got in 4 shots on target, but he should have done better to convert a couple of those. Influence waned as the game progressed, although he did retain an 85 percent passing rate.
SUBSTITUTES
Reece James: 6/10
A solid cameo by James, who won each of his duels (2/2), completed each of his passes (9/9) and even played 1 key pass. Unfortunately for him, such excellence did not amount to much later on in the game.
Timo Werner: 5/10
On for the ineffective Ziyech, Werner continued pretty much from where the Moroccan had left off and failed to trouble the Leeds defence in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: N/A
On for Mount, Hudson-Odoi got a promising chance coming his way, but he fluffed his lines. Did not get enough chances to make a difference otherwise, though.
