Chelsea vs. Napoli: Rating the Blues' Players

I am probably not the best person to ask to rate the players today, because I spent the majority of the match watching it through my fingers.

From what I did see, it was a spirited performance, one that the players, manager and fans should be proud of.

It seemed an impossible task, but without a doubt, Chelsea thoroughly deserve their place in the quarterfinals and they have kept the Roberto Di Matteo era looking a lot more promising.

The team played with real passion and looked more like Chelsea of old, but who were the standout performers and who deserved the most praise.

Petr Cech: 6

In the first half, Cech was probably the busier of the two goalkeepers, and when called upon he made some very important saves.

The second half was quieter for Chelsea's No. 1, but he had a solid, confident performance.

He collected crosses well, and there weren't any problems with his distribution to the outfield players.

Branislav Ivanovic: 8

The match-winner had a very impressive game overall.

His crosses and passes in the first half were not his best, but he became much more effective as the game progressed.

He cleaned up potentially dangerous Napoli attacks on many occasions and tracked back to stop counters, which proved to be vital in keeping the Italians at one goal.

When John Terry was substituted for Jose Bosingwa and he was forced to play at centre-back, he took this in his stride and did not let himself get flustered.

And of course, his finish for the fourth goal was one that any striker would be proud of.

David Luiz: 8

With David Luiz, you can expect some inspired forward play, but in defence he can provide some "heart in your mouth" moments.

But not today. Throughout the whole game he provided one of his best-ever defensive performances.

He used his pace to cut down passes, and stayed on his feet and jockeyed players off the ball, which is not what he has become best known for.

He got the crowd behind the team with his exciting forward runs, and caused the Napoli defence some problems on a few occasions.

John Terry: 8

John Terry put in a classic captain's performance.

He marshaled his back four, made countless important interceptions and even scored a goal at a crucial time.

Throughout the game, he gave his all, as he usually does, but some players can sometimes lose their heads in games of this magnitude.

He looked dangerous from set-pieces, and eventually he lost his marker and scored a brilliant header to put Chelsea two up.

Ashley Cole: 6

This wasn't one of Ashley Cole's best performances.

At times he looked like a work horse, and the Napoli forward players danced past him like he wasn't there on too many occasions.

But once Chelsea scored their second goal, he began to settle down and started to make Napoli's attacks from the right become less effective.

He wasn't able to get forward as much as he liked, but the times he did, he linked up quite well with Ramires and helped create goalscoring opportunities.

Michael Essien: 6

Essien was another player that took a while to settle down and really take a hold on the game.

In the first half, he was caught sleeping on the ball almost every time he received it and was quickly closed down, allowing Napoli to counter and run at the Chelsea defence.

As the game went on, his role became even more defensive, and he gave the back four some very important cover.

He did venture forward on occasions, and his distribution to the forward players improved as the second half heated up.

Frank Lampard: 7

A lot of Lampard's effectiveness today was in his presence on the pitch.

He needed to be a big voice on the pitch along with Terry and Drogba, and he looked to get the team fired up and helped control their shape.

He couldn't be as effective as he would normally be, with Napoli being a different kettle of fish to most Premier League teams, but he was involved in most of the plays going forward.

When Chelsea were throwing everything in front of the ball in defence, Lampard made some vital crunching tackles to keep his side in the game, and kept running right up until the final whistle.

And his penalty was taken as if there wasn't any pressure, smashing into the net with the force of a Mike Tyson punch.

Ramires: 8

Ramires was Chelsea's best player of the first half at a time when a few of the players looked nervous and were being a bit complacent.

In a slightly unfamiliar position today, he adapted brilliantly, and looked like he could be a threat from kickoff.

His crosses looked dangerous, and eventually Drogba latched on to one and scored the all-important first goal.

Ramires always give his all and could run around a pitch for 120 minutes with ease, but the way he tracks back and makes important challenges is definitely to be admired.

Juan Mata: 7

Juan Mata wasn't allowed to be as effective as he would like to have been against Napoli.

This was partially due to the way Napoli play, and because he was playing in a more central role when a lot of Chelsea's attacks were coming from the wings.

When he did get the ball, he kept possession well for the most part and provided some beautiful through balls. And he stuck in some tackles today, which is not something he usually does.

Daniel Sturridge: 7

This was another impressive Daniel Sturridge performance,

He was the youngest player on the pitch, but he took this massive game in his stride and played his normal game.

Apart from a few overambitious shots on goal, he carved up the Napoli defence when he had the ball on the right and caused them some nervous moments as well as testing Di Sanctis' gloves a few times.

Didier Drogba: 9

My man of the match, Drogba, put everything into his performance today.

He led from the front and used his skill and strength to worry the Napoli defence. His movement was brilliant, and his hold-up play was even better.

He even used his ever-improving defensive skills at times to get Chelsea out of some sticky situations, and provided a long ball that had the Napoli keeper all over the place.

His partnership with Torres showed promising signs, which is something that will please the Chelsea fans, and his goal was a touch of class, making a diving header look easy.

Substitutes

Jose Bosingwa: 6

No complaints for the usually shaky Portuguese full-back. He came on for John Terry at an important time in the match, but did not let the occasion get to him and put in a solid performance overall.

Florent Malouda: 6

Didn't see much of the ball after coming on, but he didn't slow the play down too much as he has been guilty of doing. He broke well and crossed for Drogba in the dying seconds of the game.

Fernando Torres: 8

Torres looked hungry today, and it has been his demeanour that has been one of the main concerns for him. He chased down the ball whenever he could and looked dangerous on the break. He perhaps should have done more with the chance created by Di Sanctis' mistake, but we can forgive him for that.