Kepa Arrizabalaga, Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech stood out as Chelsea eked out a 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle to reach the FA Cup fifth round.
Thomas Tuchel, unavailable to man the touchline, named a strong starting lineup to take on Plymouth Argyle, just as he had for the FA Cup third round fixture against Chesterfield. Chelsea duly ensured one-way traffic in the early exchanges, although Plymouth Argyle broke the deadlock against the run of play.
After winning a free-kick on the left flank, Jordan Houghton whipped in a dangerous-looking ball that was deftly nodded into the goal by Macaulay Gillesphey. That was the only moment when the visitors posed a threat, with Chelsea dominating possession for the remainder of the first half, albeit without much to show for their efforts.
But just when it seemed like Plymouth Argyle would hold on to the slender advantage, Chelsea got the game back on level terms through Cesar Azpilicueta, who produced a cheeky backheel flick to make it 1-1. The Blues continued dominating the proceedings after the interval but were kept at bay by the brilliant Michael Cooper. The second half ended as it had begun, sending the game into extra time.
Chelsea finally grabbed the lead at the stroke of half-time in extra time, with Marcos Alonso scoring a close-range goal after a neat exchange between Timo Werner and Kai Havertz. That is when Plymouth Argyle started pushing men forward, and they were given a way back when Malang Sarr brought Ryan Hardie down in the penalty area deep into extra time.
Hardie stepped up to take the spot-kick but was denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga, who dived the right way. Chelsea subsequently held on for the final few minutes to eke out a 2-1 win and reach the FA Cup fifth round. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Kepa Arrizabalaga: 8/10
Kepa barely had anything to do for much of the game, with Plymouth Argyle happy to sit back and absorb the pressure that Chelsea created. The Spaniard could not have done much to keep out Macaulay Gillesphey’s deft finish, but he was at hand to deny Ryan Hardie from the spot deep into extra time – another brilliant penalty stop.
? @kepa_46 with a save from the spot!#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/LGzpj7qqUy
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 5, 2022
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
With Chelsea dominating the proceedings, Azpilicueta took the initiative to charge upfield, which yielded a positive result as he was in the right place at the right time to net the equaliser. The Chelsea captain had the ball in the back of the net again in the second half with another backheel flick but was offside. His influence started waning as the game wore on, and he was taken off for Trevoh Chalobah in extra time.
Andreas Christensen: 6/10
Christensen was passed fit to start after recovering from COVID-19, but he barely had to do any defending. The Dane completed two interceptions and all but one attempted pass in a largely quiet first half, before being taken off at the break for Marcos Alonso.
Antonio Rudiger: 7/10
Rudiger did not have much to do in the game, with Plymouth Argyle making only a handful of attacking moves. But the German international was at hand to keep the visitors at bay every time they threatened, completing four clearances while winning four duels. He was also precise with the ball at his feet, completing 91 per cent of his attempted passes.
Malang Sarr: 5.5/10
With Chelsea lining up in a 4-3-3 formation, Sarr started the game as the left-back and was a constant outlet down his flank in the first half. The young Frenchman slotted into the heart of the Chelsea defence following Christensen’s half-time substitution and remained solid at the back for the most part. But he conceded the late penalty that Kepa saved to spare his blushes.
Mason Mount: 8/10
Mason Mount now has 4 assists in his last 7 starts for Chelsea…
He’s now up to 15 G/A’s this season. ? pic.twitter.com/kvnACddDVt
— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) February 5, 2022
Installed in a midfield trio instead of the no. 10 role, Mount took some time to get going. But once he found his feet, the English playmaker linked up brilliantly with Hakim Ziyech while also playing a staggering eight key passes, one of which was the assist for Azpilicueta’s goal in the first half. He is getting into his stride again.
Jorginho: 7/10
As is usually the case, Jorginho was a solid customer in the middle of the park, doing the cleanup job smartly – even more so following Mateo Kovacic’s substitution. The Chelsea vice-captain was also involved in the move that ended with Azpilicueta’s goal, as he found Mount before the English international squared the ball for the skipper.
Mateo Kovacic: 7/10
With Chelsea deployed in a 4-3-3 setup, Kovacic had the license to express himself better higher up the pitch. The Croat came close to scoring twice in the first half, only to be denied by the woodwork. Kovacic also showed superb close control and created one fine chance for Romelu Lukaku, which the Belgian failed to convert. He was sacrificed for Timo Werner late in the game.
Hakim Ziyech: 8/10
Ziyech was the best player for Chelsea on Saturday, as he constantly looked to carve out openings. The Moroccan international played some unbelievable passes and would have grabbed at least two assists on another day. He also put in the hard yards defensively while playing six key passes. This is the Ziyech who has been missing for a while.
?? Hakim Ziyech completed more dribbles (7/8), attempted more crosses (23) and won more ground duels (9/13) than any other player against Plymouth Argyle.
The Moroccan is in form. ? #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/q1r3iJEz91
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) February 5, 2022
Romelu Lukaku: 4/10
Lukaku endured a game to forget as he failed to deal with the dangerous free-kick that Jordan Houghton delivered in the build-up to the Plymouth Argyle goal. At the opposite end of the pitch, Lukaku struggled to get into the scoring positions and was caught on his heels in crucial moments while failing to create space for his teammates with his hold-up play.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 6/10
Hudson-Odoi struggled to get into the game early on despite Chelsea’s dominance. But the young attacker soon got into his stride and pegged the Plymouth Argyle defenders back with some tricky moves, although that was not enough to make a difference.
SUBSTITUTES
Marcos Alonso: 6/10
Introduced in place of Christensen, Alonso failed to create a meaningful opening for much of his time on the pitch. But the Spaniard popped into the box to finish off Kai Havertz’s low cross, which was enough to seal Chelsea’s place in the FA Cup fifth round.
Marcos Alonso has scored his first #EmiratesFACup goal since his strike against Newcastle in January 2018.
And he puts Chelsea ahead. ? pic.twitter.com/l4c9dFPe7a
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 5, 2022
Kai Havertz: 6/10
Havertz replaced Hudson-Odoi but struggled to be as lively as the Chelsea academy product in the final quarter of regulation time. But the German international stepped up in extra time and played a wonderful exchange with Timo Werner before squaring the ball for Alonso for the winner.
Timo Werner: 6/10
Werner replaced Kovacic deep into regulation time and was involved in some half chances. But the German international showed a lot of hesitancy for the most part, apart from the moment when he linked up smartly with Havertz in the build-up to Alonso’s goal.
Saul Niguez: 6/10
On for Mount, Saul kept play ticking in extra time, although he did not see the ball as much as he would have liked.
Trevoh Chalobah: N/A
A late introduction, Chalobah helped see the game out.
Hakim Z is the King of the Match
Mr Tuckel should now admit that ziyech’s poor form in the past was purely his fault for playing him in wrong positions?????