Chelsea vs Crystal Palace player ratings: Ben Chilwell brings Chelsea cheer with rampant win

Chelsea eased past Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge after goals by Ben Chilwell, Kurt Zouma and Jorginho

Ben Chilwell and Kurt Zouma celebrate (Pool via REUTERS)

Ben Chilwell scored and assisted on his debut as Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace in a London derby at Stamford Bridge.

After a dominant but inspiring first half, the Blues took advantage of a poor clearance from Mamadou Sakho to take the lead through Chilwell early in the second half, before Kurt Zouma headed home from close range to double their advantage.

Jorginho completed the rout with a double from a pair of late penalties.

Despite the attacking stars on display for the Blues, it was their defensive assets that scored the goals and secured a first league win since their opening weekend at Brighton.

Chelsea

Edouard Mendy – 6. Mendy barely touched the ball as his opposition offered little offensively, but he made a good block to deny Ayew.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 7. A calm presence in possession, the veteran wasn’t afraid of getting forward and whipping the ball into the box. Booked for a challenge on Eze.

Thiago Silva – 7. The experienced Brazilian was far more settled than his debut a week ago, and moved the ball about nicely to show off his confidence whilst being defensively sound.

Kurt Zouma – 8. Defensively, the Frenchman was reliable when called upon. Perhaps should have scored from Chilwell’s corner after 58 minutes, but made amends 10 minutes later when he thumped his header home.

Ben Chilwell – 8. The England international had an impressive debut, keeping wide to spread the play and was a consistent option offensively. He smashed in the opener five minutes into the second half and provided a great cross for the second.

Jorginho – 8. Played his role nicely, winning possession back and moving the ball on to the more dangerous players. The Italian hooked a shot over on 20 minutes, and took up defensive positions to cover the likes of Chilwell getting forward. Once again, he proved his consistency to find the net from the spot on two occasions.

N’Golo Kante – 7. Kante was, as always, ever-present as he moved from box-to-box, but did nothing of note.

Kai Havertz – 7. Danced away from tackles nicely, although his pass attempts were frustrating as Palace shut him down in the final third. Dictated Chelsea’s attack, and took advantage of Sakho’s error to win the second penalty.

Callum Hudson-Odoi – 6. A bright spark for Chelsea early in the game, but was too often looking backwards in the final third as he was largely neutralised by Mitchell. Made a nice flick to find Azpilicueta with 10 minutes to go.

Timo Werner – 5. The German international made some clever runs, but his finishing and passing left much to be desired as he struggled to exert his presence on the game. Whatever he offered in the first half completely vanished in the second.

Tammy Abraham – 6. The striker didn’t have a lot of clear-cut chances, and was dealt with effectively by Palace’s centre-backs. However, he made some good runs in-behind and came close with a header with 15 minutes remaining before winning the first penalty.

Substitutes:

Mateo Kovacic – 6.

Christian Pulisic – 6.

Crystal Palace

Vicente Guaita – 6. He made a smart stop from a Werner shot and denied Abraham nicely, but he had little to do in the first half and wasn’t at fault for any of the goals.

Joel Ward – 5. Got forward well when he needed to, but was found wanting defensively as Chilwell found space whenever he pleased.

Cheikhou Kouyate – 6. Made some key defensive contributions when Chelsea attacked through the middle in the first half.

Mamadou Sakho – 4. The former-Liverpool defender had a solid first half, but it was his error that led to Chelsea’s opener before he conceded a silly penalty for the fourth.

Tyrick Mitchell – 6. The young defender made a good interception to deny a Werner opportunity, and offered himself down the left during the rare times Palace went forward. He showed confidence passing out from the back, and was perhaps unlucky to concede the penalty for a foul on Abraham.

James McCarthy – 6. Carried the ball forward nicely, but often allowed Havertz to get the better of him. Replaced by Milivojevic.

James McArthur – 6. Good tackle to stop Chilwell early in the game, and won the ball in midfield several times despite Chelsea’s dominance in that area. Made a smart pass to release Townsend in the second half. Replaced by Riedewald.

Eberechi Eze – 6. Delivered a decent cross that went untouched midway through the first half, and made some good passes to get Palace moving forward.

Andros Townsend – 6. Whipped in a dangerous cross at the end of the first period and made some good runs in the second, but did nothing of note.

Wilfried Zaha – 5. Crystal Palace’s star player was completely anonymous, aside from a brief flash 15 minutes into the second half.

Jordan Ayew – 5. Better defensively than offensively, losing the ball due to poor control on too many occasions.

Substitutes:

Luka Milivojevic – 6.

Jairo Riedewald – 6.