[Player Ratings] Chelsea 1-2 FC Basel: Swiss Fight Back To Stun Mou’s Men

Jose Mourinho suffered a nightmare on his return to European football with Chelsea as FC Basel came from a goal behind to snatch victory at Stamford Bridge.

Oscar had put the Blues in front on the stroke of half time – despite a patchy first half performance – taking Frank Lampard’s through ball and finishing superbly. Chelsea should have wrapped the game up in the second half, with Oscar thumping the crossbar and both Branislav Ivanovic and Eden Hazard going close.

But Basel kept themselves in the game with a curling equaliser from Mohamed Salah on 71 minutes, and not content with just a point the Swiss outfit had turned the game on it’s head when Marco Streller headed in with eight minutes to go.

It was no less than the Swiss deserved for their attitude and application at a ground in which away wins are hard to come by. But combined with an under-performing home side, Basel shocked the footballing world with an excellent performance.

As for Chelsea, Mourinho will be furious that his side allowed their opponents to come from behind when the game should have been wrapped up. For the second time in five days, the ‘Special One’ will be lamenting several missed chances by his strike-force that has cost the Blues dearly.

Chelsea

Cech- 6– as is often the case in European home games, Cech was mostly a spectator but made some decent saves when called upon.

Cole- 6- an un-remarkable performance from England’s number one left-back. Had a steady game.

Luiz- 6- looked perfectly at ease bringing the ball out of defence and helping start attacks.

Cahill- 5- did not look quite as assured as he was in his last outing for England. There are questions over whether Luiz-Cahill are a good match and on this evidence, I’d have to say they are not.

Ivanovic- 7- Chelsea’s stand out defender again tonight. Never shirked from his responsibilities and led by example in the absence of Terry. Is it time we saw more of Ivanovic at centre half?

Lampard- 6- not the worst performance, but by Lampard’s own standards it was far from his best. We expected to see the England veteran take this game by the scruff of the neck, but the midfielder seemed reluctant to try too much.

van Ginkel-  6- a rare outing for the Dutchman. The 20 year-old was not over-awed by the occasion, showing some lovely passing ability. But he did appear to wane somewhat in the second half before being replaced.

Oscar- 8- a brilliant performance from the Brazilian in what appeared to be a deeper midfield position he was operating in. Scored his fifth goal in four games at home in European competition- and what a goal it was!

Hazard- 6- far more dangerous than he was on Saturday. Showed some neat play and looked a threat throughout.

Willian- 5- the debutant didn’t quite look up to speed on this occasion, but he is undoubtedly a talent. May not see the best of him till later in the season.

Eto’o- 5- again, demomstrated some nice touches and was involved in decent passages of play but lacked that killer instinct in the box.

Man of the Match- Oscar- capped a superb performance with a sumptuous finish to make it 1-0.

Subs

 Mata- 6- positive when he came on but failed to deliver the killer ball.

Mikel- 5- replaced van Ginkel with 15 minutes to go; didn’t contribute much in attack or defence

Ba- 5- was thrown on for Lampard with 14 minutes left but contributed little in that time.

You can watch video highlights from the game including all the goals here

What went wrong at the Bridge last night? Just a bad day at the office? Or should Mourinho’s selection be scrutinised? The Blues seem to lack a lethal finisher at the moment…whose the answer up front? Eto’o? Ba? Torres? Please leave your comments below…