Chelsea player ratings vs Qarabag

MF Davide Zappacosta, 6 — Saw plenty of the action on the right flank but his final ball lacked quality, particularly when Alvaro Morata entered the fray in the role of orthodox striker; he could have profited with better service.

MF Marcos Alonso, 5 — Effective going forward, but struggled defensively to contain Wilde-Donald Guerrier. A booking on the hour for impeding the Haiti international led to Conte substituting Alonso before further frustration might have resulted in his dismissal.

MF N’Golo Kante, 8 — Having ensured Chelsea’s defence weathered an early Qarabag storm, Kante went into cruise control, controlling midfield and allowing Cesc Fabregas the latitude to play further forward.

MF Cesc Fabregas, 8 — Played some delightful balls out of midfield to provide ammunition for Pedro, Willian and Hazard and linked up with Azpilicueta and Zappacosta. With Hazard subbed, Babregas took Chelsea’s second penalty of the game and remained focused enough to score when asked to retake following an infringement.

FW Willian, 9 — Willian has been on the periphery of Conte’s Champions League team thinking for some time now, but handed a free rein against Qarabag by the Blues’ boss the Brazil international provided a timely reminder of his ability, scoring two goals and winning two penalties in what was a an outstanding man-of-the-match performance.

FW Pedro, 7 — Qarabag’s defence had no answer to his pace, other than resorting to cynical challenges. Pedro had chances to score but was denied by a mix of decent goalkeeping and poor finishing.

FW Eden Hazard, 8 — Hazard has been deployed as a “false nine” on a number of occasions but flattered to deceive more often than not in the position. That changed against Qarabag; the 26-year-old displayed excellent spatial awareness and had the pace to continually cause problems. He converted the first penalty of the game and teed up Willian for Chelsea’s second goal.

Substitutes

DF Gary Cahill, 6 — Replaced Alonso and went into the back three where he was untroubled for the remainder of the game.

FW Alvaro Morata, 6 — Replaced Hazard and maintained the constant threat to Qarabag’s defence. Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to find the net.

MF Danny Drinkwater, NR — Replaced Kante late on with victory sealed.