Chelsea vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv to open up their UEFA Champions League Group G slate on Wednesday.
The performance wasn't an overwhelming one by the Blues, but it was enough to get the job done against the champions of the Israeli Premier League.
Willian, Oscar, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas scored goals in the home win for Jose Mourinho's side, who needed a boost ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Arsenal.
Chelsea's win at Stamford Bridge, London, turned out to be the lone bright spot for the Premier League on Matchday 1 as Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United all fell 2-1 in their respective contests.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Chelsea's first win in this season's Champions League.
Winner/Loser: Willian
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Willian started the match in strong fashion for the hosts, but unfortunately for Jose Mourinho's squad, the Brazilian left in the 23rd minute with an injury.
Willian's first major involvement came in the fifth minute as he drew the first of two penalties earned by the hosts in the first half. Despite handing Eden Hazard a golden opportunity to put the Blues ahead early, the Belgian squandered the chance by skying his shot over the bar.
The Brazilian midfielder made up for the Hazard miss in the 15th minute as he opened the scoring with a free-kick from the left wing. The ball bounced into the penalty area and Gary Cahill tried to connect with it, but instead it found the back of the net after some bad positioning by Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
The goal was the first for Willian in 22 matches across all competitions, per Squawka, but his night was ruined as he limped off the pitch midway through the first half.
Loser: Eden Hazard
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A wave of shock and disappointment swept through Stamford Bridge in the sixth minute as Hazard rocketed his penalty attempt into the stands.
Although Chelsea would recover from the missed spot-kick, Hazard let the miss get to him as he failed to create many opportunities in the final third.
The 24-year-old made the second-most touches of any Chelsea player with 87, but he was wasteful with them. He attempted two shots, both of which were off target, and only dished out one key pass, per WhoScored.com.
Given his lack of confidence on Wednesday night, it is hard to see Hazard featuring in a starring role on Saturday against Arsenal. In six matches at club level this season, Hazard has one assist to his name in 450 minutes.
Winner: Diego Costa
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Diego Costa wasn't expected to play a major role in Wednesday's match, but once Willian went down with an injury, Costa answered the call and contributed to a pair of goals.
With time winding down in the first half, Costa earned the second Chelsea penalty of the match as Tal Ben Haim barged into him on the right side of the box. Oscar then stepped up to finish off Chelsea's second goal right before the half-time whistle.
In the 58th minute, Costa unleashed a terrific shot into the right side of the net to put the Blues comfortably ahead by three goals. Costa volleyed home a pass from Cesc Fabregas with his left foot while being marked closely by a defender.
The goal was the second of the season for Costa, who last recorded a tally on August 23 against West Bromwich Albion.
Loser: Predrag Rajkovic
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In his third career start for Maccabi Tel Aviv, 19-year-old goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic made some crucial errors in the first 15 minutes of his side's defeat at Stamford Bridge.
In the fifth minute, Rajkovic clumsily took down Willian in the box and conceded a penalty. Luckily for the former Red Star Belgrade man, he was not beaten by Hazard's pitiful attempt.
However, Rajkovic would commit a bigger mistake 10 minutes later as he was hesitant to come off his line and collect Willian's free-kick. Instead of handling a routine ball into the box with ease, Rajkovic froze and allowed the Brazilian's shot to bounce into the net.
Rajkovic seemed unsure of himself all night, and that came back to haunt him on Chelsea's fourth goal as he let a rebound spill out to Fabregas.
The good news for Rajkovic is he has five more Group G matches to improve his profile, but he and his team-mates will have to play much better than they did on Wednesday to be considered an upset threat.
Winner: Ruben Loftus-Cheek
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Most of the focus after the match will be on the Chelsea attackers, but one defensive-minded player in particular deserves praise for his outing on Wednesday night.
Defensive midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek was a rock in front of the back four against a Maccabi Tel Aviv side looking to steal a goal off the counter.
The 19-year-old rarely missed a step as he completed 93.3 percent of his 60 passes and made two tackles. His pass-completion percentage was the highest of any Chelsea player who saw significant playing time in the Group G opener, per WhoScored.com.
Thanks to his strong performance on the continental stage, Loftus-Cheek should see more playing time in the upcoming weeks as Mourinho looks to sort out all the faults in his squad.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
