[Player Ratings] Chelsea 2-1 Man City: How The Blues Rated As Torres Hits Winner

Chelsea beat Manchester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to close the gap on Arsenal to two points. Here, Joe Carroll gives us his player ratings for Jose Mourinho’s men.

A Joe Hart error allowed Chelsea to grab a last-minute winner against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Fernando Torres struck in the 90th minute to give the Blues a 2-1 victory following a defensive howler between City keeper Joe Hart and Matija Nastasic. There was a distinct lack of communication between the pair when Willian sent the ball long up-field, and when Nastasic headed past his own keeper towards goal, Torres was first to the loose ball to convert.

It was a thrilling end to a close encounter between two teams that will hope to be lifting the Premier League trophy come May, and emotions were so high that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho took to the stands to celebrate the winning goal.

It was no less than Torres deserved after a promising display throughout. The Spaniard should have seen his side in front inside half an hour when he found space inside the penalty area before blazing his effort over the bar. But the making of Chelsea’s opening goal was all his own, gliding past Gael Clichy and crossing for Andre Schurrle to tap in his first goal in blue.

Sergio Aguero levelled matters shortly after half-time with a piercing first-time shot that left Petr Cech with no chance. Both sides continued to press in search of the winner and the game looked to be heading for a draw before the calamity in the City defence which allowed Torres to score.

Chelsea Ratings:

Cech- 6- nothing the Czech could do about Aguero’s thunder-strike. Made some smart saves when called upon.

Cole- 7- was very rarely beaten in defence and as usual contributed to his side’s attacking forays. Very dependable.

Terry- 7- a solid performance from the skipper who organised his defence and went close to scoring with a couple of headers.

Cahill- 6- has had to watch from the bench on a number of occasions so far this season but was showed he was more than capable of keeping his place here. Good display.

Ivanovic- 6- appeared too concerned with City’s attacking threat (and rightly so) to get too far forward himself. Dependable and formed part of a solid back four.

Lampard- 5- was substituted for Mikel in the second half after a mediocre performance. Was outshone by the likes of David Silva and Yaya Toure. We often hear that Lampard rises to the big occasions; sadly not on this one.

Ramires- 7- was one of Chelsea’s best players and has become a vital cog in the Blue’s midfield engine. Was up and down all game with tireless running.

Hazard- 6- the Belgian showed some glimpses of inspiration in the first half but failed to keep it up before being dragged off for Samuel Eto’o for the final few minutes.

Oscar- 7- another good performance in his free role behind the striker. Was so often the creative link between midfield and the final third.

Schurrle- 7- the German has upped his game in the last couple of weeks after an unconvincing start to his Chelsea career. Bagged his first goal for the club and showed great energy getting up and down the flank.

Torres- 9- it’s not often we’ve seen Torres outshine his team mates but the Spaniard led the fight from the first whistle. Should have opened his account for the day before smashing an effort over from 8 yards out, but he recovered to set up Schurrle and chased down Nastasic, causing the error which allowed him to score the last minute winner.

Subs

Mikel- 6- did himself no harm with a solid display for the final 25 minutes.

Willian- 6- came on for Schurrle and offered his team relief by working the flank.

Eto’o- 5- only had a couple of minutes on the pitch- no time to make an impact.

Man of the Match- Fernando Torres- one of the best displays in a Blue shirt we’ve seen from the Spaniard. Seems to have hit a good patch of form with some important goals while he also appears to have his confidence back. Another touch of Mourinho magic, perhaps?

What was your take on the fantastic win against City? Was it deserved, or was it more down to luck (Hart’s error)? What did you make of Torres’ performance? Do you think Mourinho is starting to get the best out of him? Is he back to his old self? Do you think the Blues will finish above City come the end of the season?…please leave your comments below…