Chelsea vs. Swansea: Player Grades for the Blues

Ten-man Chelsea earned their biggest margin of victory thus far today, as they hosted newly promoted Swansea. The first Welsh team in the Premier league showed strong in support as it was the closest game they have had, but that was not enough as Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Ramires would get on the score sheet with the Brazilian finding the net twice.

Coming off of a day that Torres would like to sooner forget at Old Trafford, the Spaniard looked on his game from the start and collected a well played over-the-top pass from Juan Mata. He calmly brought the ball to the ground before hitting a solid shot across his body to open the scoring.

Minutes later, Torres would get up on the counter with Ashley Cole and Ramires in support. Ramires would take a hard low shot right through the keepers' legs to give the Blues a 2-0 lead.

However, just three minutes later he would find himself being shown a straight red card for a truly irresponsible studs-up tackle on Mark Gower. It adds another chapter to the saga of Torres’ stint at Chelsea. Again he looked great and poised to make it a multi-goal day. But just like that he would find all his progress pushed back by a mental lapse.

Swansea would find some new life after going up a man, but wasted their chances. Ramires would find the net again in the 76th minute. Jose Bosingwa would find the Brazilian making a run at the back line. The pass was right on target for Ramires to drag it around his defender and place it around the keeper.

Drogba would add a fourth in the dying minutes to make the final 4-1.

Swansea is not the most difficult team on the schedule, but you can only beat the team you play. This was expected to be an easy win and the Blues made it look so despite playing more than half the game a man down.

Petr Cech: B+

Rarely was he called upon today, but being a man down for a majority of it kept him on his toes. Most fans will come away from this game happier to see his knock on the head against Fulham on Wednesday was nothing serious.

Jose Bosingwa: C+

He played well getting forward as usual. His pass to Ramires for the third goal was inch perfect and timely, considering Swansea was looking to threaten towards the end. However, Chelsea’s run of four straight Prem games without a clean sheet continued on his poor defending on a set piece. No defender should ever shy away from a challenge the way he did.

John Terry: B+

The pressure was on the skipper to make sure his undermanned side held their lead, and as usual he lived up to the challenge. He organized the back line well enough to keep Swansea’s chances to a minimum. He was a rock in the air and cleared any balls that threatened from open play.

Branislav Ivanovic: B+

The question of whether Ivan is a better full-back or center-back may never be answered, but performances like today make a strong point for the latter. Like Terry, nothing really made him look uneasy. Terry/Ivanovic is becoming one of the best defensive tandems in the game.

Ashley Cole: B

Getting forward Cole was fantastic. His exchange with Torres led to a much needed second goal that would prove to be huge with the sending off minutes later. Defending, he was quick and tracked back well, but he seems to be going into tackles awfully rash lately. It was enough today, but the better teams will take advantage of him.

Raul Meireles: C

Meireles was the weakest point on the Chelsea squad. He seemed behind the run of play and turned over the ball way too often. As a holding midfielder he still has something to prove as he does not win the balls you would want from a player in that role. Perhaps a few more weeks with the team will help build the chemistry that is lacking.

John Obi Mikel: B-

Back in the starting lineup since their Champions League tie against Leverkusen, Mikel was the ideal choice in hindsight. He commanded the midfield when it became a match about resisting the Swansea attack. The thing with Mikel is you get a good tackler and physical presence, but offensively he may be the last choice on the team. He is often more of a liability in front of the net than anything.

Ramires: A

Again, it is hard to argue that Ramires was not the best player on the field today. The Brazilian’s trademark energy showed up again and was much needed to cover the ground left open when Torres was sent off. Typically what he does for the team does not show up on the stats sheet, but his two goals today were well deserved and crucial in securing the much needed win.

Nicolas Anelka: B+

Anelka didn’t do much in the way of tangible stats, but his presence on the field elevates the Chelsea play every time. Torres may have been speaking about the Frenchman when he complained that the older players play too slow for him. But Anelka’s slow, calculated play helps them control the ball and creates a lot of chances. His solo effort from 25 yards after beating four defenders all alone would have been the goal of the season had it not hit the crossbar.

Juan Mata: A-

It is becoming repetitive to say how important Mata’s arrival to Chelsea has been. Today his chip over the top to Torres was splendid to say the least. The selling point Villas-Boas pitched for Mata was that it would bring the best out of the struggling Torres. So far it has done just that and so much more. Aguero may be scoring an impressive amount of goals, but influence wise, Mata takes the cake as the best signing of the summer.

Fernando Torres: B

Torres scored the kind of goal we would expect of the Torres of old. The way he timed his run, took it down with his chest, spun and shot it into the corner without hesitation is what the club thought they would be getting last winter. He looked poised to put in one or two more, but his atrocious tackle deserved a straight red.

The worst part about this is not the fact that he was sent off today, but that his progress will be further hindered by the three-game ban. Today’s win was excellent and Torres got the ball rolling. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to celebrate it with his teammates on the field after the final whistle.

Florent Malouda (60th Minute for Mata): B

With defense on the mind, Villas-Boas took Mata off for Malouda who is much more comfortable holding the ball and in the middle. The way he set up Drogba was something out of the '09/10 vintage season catalog. He has seen his role reduced with Mata’s arrival, but every time he comes on the field he proves his worth.

Didier Drogba (79th Minute for Anelka): B

A red card wouldn’t keep Drogba off the field today. Finally returning to action after his concussion, he was there to finish out the game by holding the ball, something he still does better than anyone in the game. His goal was icing on the cake for the team and showed the fans he still has what it takes. With Torres out for the next three matches, Drogba will get the chance to show that he is still worthy of being called one of the best strikers in the world.

Josh McEachran (83rd Minute for Meireles): N/A

Not enough time to make an accurate assessment. But after not playing in the first handful of matches he has found playing time in the last two. Villas-Boas may have realized that the young Chelsea product plays well beyond his years.

How would you grade today's performance? Please feel free to comment.