BY Jonathan Ledger
Chelsea recorded a third victory in as many games against Manchester City to win the UEFA Champions League on Saturday.
TheCable x-rays the outstanding and underwhelming performances in the final game of Europe’s premier club competition.
Manchester City
Ederson Moraes (5/10): Confident goalkeeping but could do nothing about the goal. The Brazilian goalkeeper acted as an extra player but Chelsea’s set-up did not afford him his usual deep-ball contribution.
Kyle Walker (5/10): His speed helped him in both halves. He almost made a goal out of nothing with a burst of pace. He had an average performance overall and his late rallying cry – including the long throws – yielded nothing.
John Stones (4/10): He had early jitters but recovered as one of the better City defenders. Cleared a dangerous ball and mopped up everywhere. Should share the blame for Chelsea’s goal. The space afforded Havertz was atrocious.
Ruben Dias (3/10): A bit overwhelmed by the occasion, made lots of mistakes and Chelsea had plenty of joy attacking him. Should also share in the blame for Havertz’s goal as he was AWOL with Stones.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (3/10): Usual good shift but nothing spectacular. Lost Havertz for Chelsea’s goal just when he started to find joy in stemming the tide of attack on his wing.
Kevin De Bruyne (c) (5/10): Deprived of space in the middle of the park but his first successful involvement sent Foden on goal. Man City were rudderless after his exit.
Ilkay Gündogan (4/10): Fouls galore. The German midfielder is not a proper defensive midfielder and was grossly misused in the first half. Not much improvement in the second as Chelsea simply locked out the midfield.
Bernardo Silva (2/10): Not in tune with others. Needed in attack but did more defensive duty in midfield. Hauled off as Guardiola chased the game.
Riyad Mahrez (5/10): Although the Algerian tried to use his skill set, he was well marshalled by Chilwell on the wing. Had more success in the second half but there was always the extra defender to marshal him away from danger.
Raheem Sterling (3/10): Good timing to get on Ederson’s long ball but poor execution with the chance. Looked for a foul at every opportunity while he could not get past Chilwell. He has looked out of form in recent months and his selection was a gamble that failed to pay off.
Phil Foden (5/10): Should have scored when put on goal but went for the fanciful shot and the delay allowed Rudiger an excellent block. The youngster who has received high praise from Guardiola works best with space but none was forthcoming against this sturdy opponent.
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy (7/10): Exudes confidence. Started the move for Havertz’s goal with a superb ball to the wing. He plucked a City chance out of the air with an air of authority.
Reece James (7/10): Had Sterling in his pocket all night. Put in a massive defensive shift, just like his manager would have ordered. He also supported the attack.
Thiago Silva (6/10): Not much to do but kept the defence in check. Substituted due to groin injury in the first half.
Anthony Rüdiger (8/10): Wonderful block on Foden’s shot is worthy of a win, it was the moment the UCL was won. Took lessons from Sergio Ramos and ensured De Bruyne left the field to extinguish Man City’s hopes of a revival. A wonderful night for the German who could not get a game under Frank Lampard.
Cesar Azpilicueta (c) (7/10): Quietly went about the business of stifling space to prevent de Bruyne from operating in the final third. Cleared a cross from under the bar as he led Chelsea’s backline like the captain he is.
N’Golo Kanté (10/10): Man of the match by a mile. The midfield engine was energetic as usual, doing everything expected of a midfielder. Blocked, tackled, gained possession, started attacks, and closed down the midfield.
Jorginho (8/10): Played arguably his best Chelsea game. Sat deep like the sixth defender, got key vertical passes right and timed tackles to perfection. Positional sense was also top-notch and he was an on-field coach for everyone around him.
Ben Chilwell (7/10): When you can stop Mahrez from dancing into the box on several occasions then it can be considered a good day at the office. He did this excellently and added an extra dimension in attack when he had to join upfield.
Mason Mount (7/10): The assist for Havertz’s goal was a training ground assist. He tucked in well into deep midfield and sprang upfield when required. This 22-year-old has won Tuchel and Chelsea fans’ hearts.
Kai Havertz (8/10): Fluffed an opening but redeemed himself with a wonderful take on his goal by timing his run to perfection before going round the goalkeeper and slotting into an empty net for his first UCL goal.
Timo Werner (6/10): The striker was full of running and not afraid to take on defenders. He miscued a great chance and misfired all night. Could really make do with a summer of shooting practice and balance.
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