Chelsea 2-0 Lille: Champions League Last 16, first leg – 22/2/22
LILLE:
Léo Jardim, 5
Zeki Çelik, 5
José Fonte, 4
Sven Botman, 5
Tiago Djaló, 4 – He’s impressed at centre-back this season but is in an error-prone and uncomfortable right-back and isn’t a left-back at all – forced into the role by the club’s transfer dealings. He grew into the game but endured a nervy first third in particular.
Benjamin André, 5
Xeka, 3 – He’s a more than solid Ligue 1 player but looked out of his depth technically here. He was unlucky to get away with dithering in possession in the first period, as Kanté pinched possession deep in Lille’s half, for example. As the second goal showed, he couldn’t live with Kanté generally.
Renato Sanches, 7 – A few years on from an infamous career low-point, that pass to no one for Swansea, he enjoyed some level of redemption at the same ground. His passing was refreshingly positive and often precise while his interplay was sharp and he occasionally worried Chelsea with his direct dribbling. He was maybe the only Lille player to look like they belonged. He faded in the second half, typically, but still did just enough for a 7.
Amadou Onana, 4
Jonathan Bamba, 6 – He played with hunger and pace and was a persistent nuisance for Chelsea but lacked the vision, and maybe confidence, to pick the required passes and create against such a strong defensive set-up at this level. He also led his team in tackles, winning 100% of them.
Jonathan David, 3 – Bullied by Thiago Silva throughout in a performance that again highlighted how tricky it might be for him to play the lone striker role longer-term at a high level and didn’t manage a shot on target in 80 minutes.
Others: Gudmundsson 5, Ben Arfa 5, Yilmaz 5, Zhegrova 5.