[Ratings] Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea: How The Blues Boys Fared As Mata Sinks Gunners

Chelsea eased into the quarter finals of the Capital One Cup with a 2-0 win over Arsenal. Here are player ratings for Jose Mourinho’s men from Blues fan Joe Carroll.

An inspired Jaun Mata helped Chelsea breeze past a toothless Arsenal side, securing their place in the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup in a 2-0 win.

Both sides made considerable changes to their starting line-ups for the League Cup clash at the Emirates but it was the visitors who took advantage with goals from fringe players Cesar Azpilicueta and Mata.

Chelsea’s second string  looked more comfortable in possession than the home side and it came as no surprise when they took a 26th minute lead. A combination of being exposed on the counter attack and a poor error of judgement from defender Carl Jenkinson allowed Azpilicueta to open the scoring.

Arsenal improved somewhat after the break with the introduction of Mesut Ozil but the Blues doubled their lead on 66 minutes thanks to a superb 20-yard screamer from Mata. On the rare occasions the Spaniard has featured for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho he has failed to live up to expectations, but his performance and goal will have done him no harm at all.

Mark Schwarzer did well to deny substitute Olivier Giroud who replaced the inept Nicklas Bendtner but Chelsea ran out comfortable winners, extending Arsenal’s eight year trophy-less  run a bit further.

Chelsea

Schwarzer- 7- as expected the Australian was selected ahead of Cech for the Capital One clash and put in a confident performance. Good back up.

Bertrand- 7- was rarely troubled and showed willingness to get forward to support the attack.

Cahill- 7- handled Bendtner perfectly, showing every ounce of his class. More showings like this remind us why he’s an England regular.

Luiz- 7- has come under scrutiny recently for some less than inspiring centre half performances but the Brazilian looked comfortable tonight (how much that had to do with Bendtner’s inability to threaten will become evident in the next couple of games!)

Azpilicueta- 9- took advantage of a poor back pass header for the goal but was in the right place at the right time. Was steady throughout and worked the flank well.

Essien- 7- another face we’ve seen little of this season. Essien became a crucial part of Mourinho’s team in his first stint, and showed here that he is a more than capable deputy. Shielded the defence superbly.

Mikel- 6- looked far more composed next to Essien and rarely put a foot wrong. Smart passing and strong tackling.

Willian- 7- was lively and enjoyed his best 90 minutes yet for the Blues. Involved in the build up to Mata’s goal. Things starting to look good for the Brazilian.

De Bruyne– 5- was outshone by his Chelsea team mates but he showed the right attitude throughout. A few moves just didn’t quite come off before being replaced.

Mata- 9- Blues fans have been waiting for a performance such as this all season. Looked back to his best from last season. Was the main attacking threat for the visitors and scored a beautiful second to ensure passage to the next round.

Eto’o- 6- certainly a better showing than we’ve seen so far. Played his part in Mata’s goal and was full of energy before being replaced by Ba.

Subs

Ramires- 6- on or De Bruyne on 69, and played well in helping see out the win.

Ba-5- introduced with less than 10 minutes left so little time to affect the game.

Kalas- used as a ploy to waste time at the death so unfair to rate.

Man of the Match- Mata– great to see the Spaniard showing that confidence and flair we loved watching last season. Took his goal superbly, showing great technique.

How pleased are you to see Chelsea progress to the quarter finals? Is this a trophy Chelsea should be winning? Should Mourinho continue to pick these players in the next round after such a convincing performance? Who was your Man of the Match? Please leave your comments below…