Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City: Drogba, Mata and Player Grades for the Blue's

Roberto Di Matteo got his first league win in charge of Chelsea FC as the hosts scrapped by with a 1-0 victory over a short-handed Stoke City.

Chelsea controlled play through most of the first half with little pressure ever from the Stoke forwards. They held Tony Pulis’ men deep in their own zone, but were unable to breakthrough.

Any chance Stoke had was gone after Ricardo Fuller foolishly stomped on Ivanovic. He was rightly show a straight red and Stoke would go all defense for the final 65 minutes.

Though the hosts dominated the rest of the half they would go into the break with nothing to show for it.

The breakthrough would finally come for Chelsea in the 68^th minute as Juan Mata found Didier Drogba in the box. The forward scored his 100^th Premier League goal with the same beauty he scored the previous 99, making him the first African player to reach the mark.

It was not the best of wins, but it was a win nonetheless. Vintage on the defensive end, the attack is still trying to find itself with chances a plenty, but not enough in the way of goals to prove it.

Here are the player grades for the Blues.

Petr Cech: B

Cech had about as easy as a day any professional footballer could. Zero saves, but zero shots on target. When the nerviest moment you have as a goalie is when a player takes a shot from 55 yards out, you know it was a good day.

Branislav Ivanovic: B+

Ivanovic was in vintage form today in his right back position. Stoke had no answer down that wing and his harassment of Fuller eventually led to the midfielder being sent off for taking out his frustration of Ivanovic’s thigh.

He was subbed in favor of Luiz for his speed and ability to get forward, but will probably enjoy the rest given the enormity of Wednesday’s match.

Gary Cahill: A

Cahill had his best game by a large margin. He was stellar on the defense, getting big in the air and matching Stoke man for man on set pieces.

His shot on goal in the early part of the match was Chelsea’s best chance on goal for quite a while.

It was obvious that he benefited from the return of Terry as for the first time in the blue he looked comfortable.

John Terry: A-

It is amazing how much difference a single player could make. Terry’s return was an instant return of what has been one of the best defensive teams over the past decade.

Like Cahill, he overpowered the strength and size of the Stoke big men.

If it were not for one error that Cahill quickly shut out, then it would have been a perfect performance.

Welcome back, captain!

Ashley Cole: B

Cole struggled a bit at times on the defensive end, giving up unnecessary fouls. It was never really dangerous, but they could have been devastating given Stoke’s ability off set pieces.

Raul Meireles: C+

Few were probably as worried about their future as Villas-Boas departed as Meireles. He was getting more playing time than most fans would have liked under his fellow countryman and now could be looking at the bench as his new home.

However, he did get the surprise start today. It was short lived however, as Di Matteo opted for more attacking force when Stoke went down a man.

His cameo was not horrendous, but not up to the par Chelsea fans expect.

John Obi Mikel: B+

Mikel was not a favorite pick of everyone’s today, but he held his ground with a excellent performance in a holding role.

There was not much for him to do once Fuller was sent off, but he still made an impact with some nice passes from the back. His ball played though to Lampard that led to a near free kick goal was the pass of the match up until Mata’s assist.

Ramires: B-

Ramires has not seemed to be the player we saw in the first half of the season over the previous few games. His explosiveness in getting up the field has not been on display and he is turning over the ball far too often for his position.

Overall, it did not mean much in this match, but against better sides it could prove the difference.

Frank Lampard: B+

Lampard was the man of the match on multiple sites as the midfielder, back in his customary role behind Drogba, was the fulcrum of the attack.

He finished the day with the top passing percentage, crosses and long balls according to whoscored.com.

So, while he may still not be the player of the future, in the correct system he can still contribute massively now.

Salomon Kalou: C

Kalou struggled today and never really found his groove. His first touch let him down more than once and he didn’t link up with Drogba the way Di Matteo had probably expected.

Didier Drogba: A-

I am sure this will come under fire, but I have little problem suggesting that Drogba was the highlight of the attack. His play up front was a fine example of how he can still be a lethal finisher.

Yes, his goal was the product of an excellent Mata pass, but the finish was superb in its own right and the kind of calm we have not seen from a Chelsea forward in months!

So, while the stats will tell you he was an abysmal passer and turned over the ball far too often, it was his goal that gave them the full three points and that’s all that matters.

Juan Mata (38th Minute for Meireles): A-

Bringing on Mata was the right move for Di Matteo to make as it became quite obvious goals would come to Chelsea.

Mata’s brilliant pass to Drogba set up the Ivorian for the game winner and he created more chances than just that. He rattled a sensational free kick off the post.

If Mata can play Wednesday as he did today, then Chelsea have an excellent chance of upsetting Napoli and moving on to the quarterfinals in Europe.

David Luiz (45th Minute for Ivanovic): B-

We finally got out look at Luiz at right-back and it was eh. Difficult match to judge him against in the position as he did not have many defensive responsibilities, but he did not do as well in the attack as I would have expected.

Perhaps isolating him on the outside does not work as most of his forward runs have come through the middle.

Daniel Sturridge: (67th Minute for Mikel): C+

Brought on for speed and creativity in the attacking end, Sturridge only proved again that in a supplementary role he is no good.

He must be played where he only has to have an eye for the goal because that’s where it is anyway. Some good moves were undone by the ball being glued to his feet rather than looking to dish it off elsewhere.

What Are Your Grades?

It was not a perfect performance by any means for the boys in blue and they certainly have a long way to go if they are to beat Napoli this Wednesday. But it is a step in the right direction as their defense was perfect

Goals will begin to fall some time and perhaps Torres not featuring today means he figures in the plans against Napoli. Only time will tell.

So, what are your grades for the Chelsea player's performance today?

As always, leave your comments below and thanks for reading!

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