Chelsea reserved their place in the FA Cup fifth round thanks to a 3-1 win over Luton Town on Sunday.
Frank Lampard’s side started the game in front and took the lead in the tenth minute thanks to Tammy Abraham, who dispatched Timo Werner’s cutback with real calm. Abraham made two with a skillful header shortly after, but Luton pulled some out a bit before the hour mark as Jordan Clark’s half volley somehow found its way through Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Blues stayed on top early after the break, with Christian Pulisic rejecting a good scoring chance, but Luton quickly developed into the game and put Chelsea under pressure. The Blues had to dig and they eventually made it down to the other end to allow Abraham to finish his hat-trick with a tap-in after a nice team move.
Werner won a late penalty and stepped up to take the effort, only to see his strike parried by Luton’s Simon Sluga.
Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) – 5/10 – 2019/20 called, they want to recoup their goalie mistake. Another weak hand from Kepa gave Luton a path back into the game, but he at least made a huge save to prevent the visitors from getting another.
Reece James (RB) – 7/10 – Exceptional in attack but a little fragile in defense. His cross for Abraham’s second was magnificent and he created a handful of other good chances, but still seemed to feel the effects of his injury at times.
Andreas Christensen (CB) – 6/10 – Looked a bit wobbly at times but did the right thing of him. Nothing to write home about, which for Christensen is actually a good thing.
Kurt Zouma (CB) – 6/10 – Was injured very early in the calf, which made him a little uncomfortable. I did Kepa a disservice for Luton’s goal.
Emerson (LB) – 7/10 – Not good enough for Luton’s goal but was generally impressive one-on-one. I loved flying forward and was solid in the tackle.
Billy Gilmour (CM) – 8/10 – Another outstanding performance from McPirlo. So comfortable in possession and his desire to move forward was something Chelsea were sorely lacking.
Mason frame (CM) – 8/10 – Chelsea’s youngest captain since John Terry in 2002, Mount has led by example. I buzzed on the pitch throughout the game and really looked for the fight again. A worthy captain.
Hakim Ziyech (RM) – 7/10 – Some delicate passes but combined with moments of magic. Could have had a handful of assists and shown his vision with a quick throw-in for the first.
Christian Pulisic (LM) – 5/10 – I sometimes felt a little fleeting. Rejected a handful of good scoring chances and struggled to get into the game.
Timo Werner (AM) – 7/10 – Deployed in a central role, Werner appreciated the opportunity to buzz on the pitch. Has drifted all over and been heavily involved in numerous Chelsea attacks, but failed to deliver the same impact after the break. Not good enough with his penalty.
Tammy Abraham (ST) – 9/10 – Continued his claim to be the clear starter for Chelsea with another excellent performance. Deserved his hat-trick and took all three goals with a lot of calm and class.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 8/10
Kai Havertz – 6/10
Olivier Giroud – 6/10
Mateo Kovacic – 6/10
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