[Player Ratings] Sunderland 1-3 Chelsea: Torres Back To His Best

Rafa Benitez finally registered his first win as Chelsea boss with a 3-1 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

Striker Fernando Torres was the hero with a brace and almost grabbed a hat-trick but saw hit fierce left-footed strike rebound off the post before Juan Mata tapped home the third. The win moves the Blues to within four points of second-placed Manchester City. Here are my player ratings for the Chelsea team.

Chelsea Ratings

Cech – 7 – Made several key saves to keep Chelsea ahead, with his save from Sessegnon particularly impressive, but should have done better with Johnson’s goal.

Ivanovic – 7 – Another solid game from the Serbian. Kept McClean quiet and dealt with the adventurous Rose well.

Cole – 6 – Given a tough time by Johnson down the left but did his best to get forward and support Hazard when he could.

Luiz – 6.5 – The physical Wickham gave Luiz a tough afternoon but the Brazilian dealt with his threat well and was dominant when defending corners.

Cahill – 7 – Solid game from Cahill and he made several key interceptions during the game.

Romeu – 6 – Picked up an injury early on and had to be replaced.

Ramires – 7 – Steady performance from Ramires. Was his usual hard-working self and he did well to win the penalty for the second goal.

Moses – 6.5 – Didn’t get in the game as much as he would have liked but when he did see the ball his powerful running was a threat. Went close to getting on the score-sheet.

Hazard – 8 – The Belgian was superb all afternoon and should have won a penalty when he was hauled back when through on goal. Lovely piece of play set up Torres for the opener and he had the beating of Bardsley all day.

Mata – 8 – Excellent display as Mata pulled the strings for the Blues once again. Everything positive went through the Spaniard and was on hand to score the third.

Torres – 9 – Showed his goal-scoring instinct for the opener and cooly slotted home his second from the penalty spot. Almost bagged a hat-trick but saw his powerful left-footed effort rebound off the post before Mata tapped home. Are Chelsea fans finally seeing the best from Torres?

Subs

Oscar – 7 – On for the injured Romeu and he did well in a less-familar holding midfield role. Used the ball well and showed he can put a tackle in as well.

Bertrand – 6 – On to help snuff out the threat of Johnson.

Lampard – N/A – On too late to make an impact.

What were your ratings from the game? Get involved in the comments section.