Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Player Grades

Chelsea suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday to rivals Manchester United. The Red Devil machine sees itself sitting alone at the top of the table with their 3-1 victory over the Blues at Old Trafford. Goals from Chris Smalling, Nani and Wayne Rooney guided them towards the win in what was probably to best contest of this young season.

An early set piece by Ashely Young found an unmarked Chris Smalling on the back post. By the time Jose Bosingwa and Frank Lampard had realized the miscommunication in who would follow, it was too late. Smalling tapped home he ball to give United the lead in the eighth minute.

Chelsea had a nice run of play following that where they threatened the United goal on multiple occasions. Torres made a nice run into the box and latched on to the ball. He fed it across to Ramires, who was all alone in front of the net, but mis-hit it just enough to allow De Gea to scurry across and gobble it up.

In the 37th minute, Nani made a decisive run through the midfield. His agility left Chelsea defenders flat footed in his wake before he teed up a shot from 20 yards out. The shot was a line drive screamer that found its way into Cech’s right upper 90. There was nothing the keeper could have done for what will be a contender for goal of the season.

Just before the break, some good ball movement by United caused a skirmish in the Chelsea box. As John Terry went to clear it, he unluckily hit it into the knee of Nani. The ball would then roll comfortably to Rooney, who slotted it home in front of goal without any challenge.

Just after the break, a great individual effort by Torres cut the United lead to 3-1. Nicolas Anelka gave him a through ball to get him behind the United line, where he lifted it over De Gea to give the Spaniard his first goal of the season.

The rest of the game would be a tale of missed opportunities for both sides. Rooney would slip on a penalty reminiscent of John Terry in the 2008 Champions League final as well as have another shot nick off the post. Nani should have also claimed a second, but another thundering shot cracked the crossbar.

But none were as miserable as Torres’ 83rd minute blunder. After showing a relatively decent game, he got behind the line again, dragged the ball around De Gea, only to put it left of the  wide open net.

Chelsea looked solid today, but luck was not on their side when they would have liked it to be. Torres’ woes continue, as he really had a chance to silence critics and be the hero for the Blues today.

Petr Cech: B+

Absolutely nothing he could have done on any of the three goals. He was confident as always between the posts grabbing crosses and distributing with extreme efficiency.  Even on Rooney’s penalty missed, he had guessed the right way. Perhaps the only player that can take no blame for today’s loss.

Jose Bosingwa: D

His defense has always been questionable, but today, his lacking really showed. You could argue that Smalling was Lampard’s man, but as a defender, it is your responsibility to fall back. He was tormented out wide all day, and as the game came neared the close and Chelsea pushed the midfield up, his flaws really began to show. He is not ready for this level of competition.

John Terry: B-

Terry was strong in the back and played very well against a much faster Hernandez. His positioning helped keep the Mexican obsolete and was strong on tackles. His clearance that deflected off of Nani was unfortunate, but not a typical mistake of the veteran.

Branislav Ivanovic: B-

Along with Terry, he had an overall solid game. He committed a few early fouls, but none of them came to any real consequence. He could take no blame in any of the three goals. Ivanovic proved today that he is the best choice alongside Terry.

Ashely Cole: C-

Cole had errant passes, some poor defending and an attitude that seemingly got worse as the game went on. He had no easy challenge going up against Nani today, but he did not overcome it. Nani was easily the man of the match, as he continuously backed Cole up into his end. His frustration boiled over in the 78th minute, where he was lucky to only get a yellow for his rash challenge on Hernandez.

Ramires: B

Ramires was arguably the best all around player in Chelsea’s field today. His usual energy seemed to be ramped up for the match, as he was all over the pitch, making tackles in the back and decisive passes in the attack. While Wayne Rooney was dropped back into the midfield, Ramires shut him down. He would be the first to tell you that he should have put away Torres’ cross, but had he not been on the field, this could have been a much worse result.

Frank Lampard: C+

Lampard started the game phenomenally. He seemed destined to be a part of Chelsea’s first goal, as they had all the opportunities in the opening frame. His through balls were on point, and his chemistry with the team was the best it had been. However, they were unable to score with him on, and that’s what it ultimately comes down to. His substitution at half was somewhat unexpected.

Raul Meireles: D+

Meireles had his worst performance in his tenure at Chelsea thus far. Every time he was on the ball, he seemed at a loss of what to do with it. He gave up possession far too easily and often found himself contributing little in the way of defense. If anyone is to blame on Nani’s goal, it would be him for not stepping to the midfielder and at least making the shot a bit more difficult.

Juan Mata: B

Mata again proved that he was the piece Chelsea was missing in the 4-3-3 attack. His wing play kept the United backs honest and did not let them get too far forward. He had some nice exchanges with Torres, as well as played corners that his teammates should have done more with. On perhaps the biggest stage of his career, he stepped up and gave Chelsea a chance in this game.

Daniel Sturridge: C-

Young Sturridge got his first glimpse of what it is like to play in game of this level. He soon learned that this is a far cry from Leverkusen and Norwich at home. Sturridge showed moments of why he is such a highly rated prospect in the Chelsea camp, but more often than not, his inexperience showed in the most crucial of moments. He will be great one day, but throwing him in as a starter in a game of this magnitude is a decision Villas-Boas may want to take back.

Fernando Torres: C

Again, this is the most difficult player to assess. His goal finally broke a drought of over a dozen games. He was also getting behind the United line and dribbling the ball the way he did when he became the fastest Liverpool player to ever score 50 goals. However, his mis-fire on the wide open net after a marvelous run and move is how he will be judged by many. Had he put that away, there would have been quite a finish at Old Trafford. Instead, it not only knocked the wind out of the Chelsea's sails, but hurt the confidence of the striker, knocking him back on any progress he had made.

Nicolas Anelka (45th Minute for Lampard): B-

For whatever reason, Chelsea seem to get more out of the team when he is on the field. He was only in for less than a minute when his through ball to Torres gave the team a boost with their first goal. His play is slow and counterproductive to what Villas-Boas wants, but you cannot argue that more goals have been scored by Chelsea when he is on the field than when he is not.

Romelu Lukaku (68th Minute for Sturridge): C-

With Drogba still out due to his concussion, Villas-Boas was forced to substitute a fast inexperienced player for a stronger one. It was a move that the manager himself probably thought would not amount to much, but it would have been unwise to let Sturridge’s confidence fall even further. Lukaku got on the ball a few times, but nothing came of it. He made one solid run and got off a onetime shot, but it was not enough to beat the infinitely more experienced Evra.

John Obi Mikel (79th Minute for Meireles): C

Thrown on as a last stitch effort to salvage a tie, Mikel is not really the answer you are looking for. Never the offensive player, he was more just a fresh pair of legs on a taller frame that may be able to put something away from a set piece. His substitution showed that Villas-Boas may have made some mistakes on who would be on the bench.

How would you grade today's performances?