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Premier League Player Ratings: Birmingham City 0-0 Chelsea
Home side have goal wrongly disallowed and Malouda sees red...
26 Dec 2009 14:59:32
By Alex Dimond
BIRMINGHAM CITY
Joe Hart - 8 - Made a number of fantastic saves, including one from former Manchester City team-mate Daniel Sturridge, and combined well with his defence to frustrate the Chelsea attack. A solid afternoon's work.
Stephen Carr - 6.5 - Was exposed only once by Ashley Cole, not a bad return after 90 minutes' pressure. No frills at the back — apart from one slack header back to his keeper — the captain led by example as he repelled any threat that came his way.
Roger Johnson - 8.5 - Most defenders fear facing Drogba, Johnson seemed to relish the occasion. Gave the big Ivorian as good as he got, never showing weakness and hardly giving him a sniff. Very impressive performance.
Scott Dann - 7 - Alongside Johnson was a resilient presence, holding off the opposition with remarkable composure. You wouldn't think this is his first season in the Premiership.
Liam Ridgewell - 7 - Rounded out the defence with another strong performance, the former Aston Villa man was not happy with the defending from set-pieces but never refused to put his body in where it hurts for the team.
Barry Ferguson - 7 - Made life harder for the Chelsea attackers as he sat in front of his determined central defenders. The Scot won the ball well and distributed it precisely, springing a number of counter-attacks for his side.
Sebastian Larsson - 7.5 - Diligent worker down the right, frustrating Ashley Cole on numerous occasions and shielding his defenders from pressure. Set-piece delivery also posed many problems for the away side.
James McFadden - 6 - Decent shift from the Scotland international, who posed a few threats with his delivery and trickery. Lack of a right foot was exposed, however, and subsequently he was substituted late on.
Lee Bowyer - 6.5 - His runs in behind the defence can make the difference against lesser teams, but against Chelsea the former Leeds United midfielder struggled to make much of an attacking impact.
Cameron Jerome - 6.5 - Physical presence up front didn't help much against Alex and Terry, and defensively fingers were pointed at him as his side lost many headers. But other than that the former Cardiff striker put in a good shift for the team.
Christian Benitez - 6.5 - Incorrectly flagged for offside after tapping home what looked like an early opener for his side. Was lively and dangerous throughout, but sometimes lacked a bit of awareness and intelligence.
Substitutes
Keith Fahey - 6 - Replaced McFadden, but didn't really get into the game.
Damien Johnson - 6.5 - Replaced Larsson late on, his fresh legs helped preserve his side's clean sheet.
CHELSEA
Petr Cech - 7 - Made one fantastic save from Larsson's free kick, picking up a knock in the process. A solid afternoon for the Czech, in an open game.
Ashley Cole - 6.5 - Got forward on a number of occasions, but seems to be lacking the cutting edge he had earlier in the season. Generally solid at the back, Ancelotti will want to try and coax more out of him in coming weeks.
John Terry - 7 - Showed his quality in a solid performance. Plugged any leaks in what was at times a very open defensive line, winning the ball in the air and recycling it on the deck.
Alex - 7.5 - Arguably Chelsea's most threatening player all game, the Brazilian seemed to win every header from corners. Rattled the bar with a thumping free kick in an all-action performance.
Branislav Ivanovic - 6.5 - Less threatening going forward than in recent weeks, the Serbian had a relatively quiet afternoon dealing with the few counter attacks that came his way.
John Obi Mikel - 6.5 - He still gives away far too many fouls, but the Nigerian covered his defence well and generally kept his side's structure and defensive discipline. Substituted late on for Ballack.
Juliano Belletti - 6.5 - Brazilian was unspectacular on only his third start of the season, showing his worth in defence and attack — but making enough poor challenges and misplaced passes to undermine the fact he is not best suited to the midfield diamond.
Florent Malouda - 6.5 - Sending off was innocuous — two relatively harmless challenges — but suspension will not be welcomed by his manager. While on the pitch he was solid, providing some width going forward and supporting his defence when required.
Frank Lampard - 6 - The tip of the diamond is still not a position where the midfielder can sparkle, as he struggled to really get into the game and cause problems for the opposition. Replaced by Joe Cole late on as Ancelotti looked for more creativity.
Daniel Sturridge - 6.5 - Looked lively and full of confidence on his first league start for the club. Had a couple of chances to open the scoring, but failed to take advantage. Encouraging signs for his manager, but was still withdrawn with 20 minutes left for Kalou.
Didier Drogba - 6 - Quiet afternoon for Drogba, for once the defence got the better of him. Nothing he tried really seemed to come off, as he barely got a sniff at goal.
Substitutes
Salomon Kalou - 6.5 - Had one decent chance to grab his side a win, but Hart denied him.
Joe Cole - 6.5 - Had little chance to really make a difference.
Michael Ballack - n/a - Late change for Mikel, saw little of the ball.
BIRMINGHAM CITY
Joe Hart - 8 - Made a number of fantastic saves, including one from former Manchester City team-mate Daniel Sturridge, and combined well with his defence to frustrate the Chelsea attack. A solid afternoon's work.
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Stephen Carr - 6.5 - Was exposed only once by Ashley Cole, not a bad return after 90 minutes' pressure. No frills at the back — apart from one slack header back to his keeper — the captain led by example as he repelled any threat that came his way.
Roger Johnson - 8.5 - Most defenders fear facing Drogba, Johnson seemed to relish the occasion. Gave the big Ivorian as good as he got, never showing weakness and hardly giving him a sniff. Very impressive performance.
Scott Dann - 7 - Alongside Johnson was a resilient presence, holding off the opposition with remarkable composure. You wouldn't think this is his first season in the Premiership.
Liam Ridgewell - 7 - Rounded out the defence with another strong performance, the former Aston Villa man was not happy with the defending from set-pieces but never refused to put his body in where it hurts for the team.
Barry Ferguson - 7 - Made life harder for the Chelsea attackers as he sat in front of his determined central defenders. The Scot won the ball well and distributed it precisely, springing a number of counter-attacks for his side.
Sebastian Larsson - 7.5 - Diligent worker down the right, frustrating Ashley Cole on numerous occasions and shielding his defenders from pressure. Set-piece delivery also posed many problems for the away side.
James McFadden - 6 - Decent shift from the Scotland international, who posed a few threats with his delivery and trickery. Lack of a right foot was exposed, however, and subsequently he was substituted late on.
Lee Bowyer - 6.5 - His runs in behind the defence can make the difference against lesser teams, but against Chelsea the former Leeds United midfielder struggled to make much of an attacking impact.
Cameron Jerome - 6.5 - Physical presence up front didn't help much against Alex and Terry, and defensively fingers were pointed at him as his side lost many headers. But other than that the former Cardiff striker put in a good shift for the team.
Christian Benitez - 6.5 - Incorrectly flagged for offside after tapping home what looked like an early opener for his side. Was lively and dangerous throughout, but sometimes lacked a bit of awareness and intelligence.
Substitutes
Keith Fahey - 6 - Replaced McFadden, but didn't really get into the game.
Damien Johnson - 6.5 - Replaced Larsson late on, his fresh legs helped preserve his side's clean sheet.
CHELSEA
Petr Cech - 7 - Made one fantastic save from Larsson's free kick, picking up a knock in the process. A solid afternoon for the Czech, in an open game.
Ashley Cole - 6.5 - Got forward on a number of occasions, but seems to be lacking the cutting edge he had earlier in the season. Generally solid at the back, Ancelotti will want to try and coax more out of him in coming weeks.
John Terry - 7 - Showed his quality in a solid performance. Plugged any leaks in what was at times a very open defensive line, winning the ball in the air and recycling it on the deck.
Alex - 7.5 - Arguably Chelsea's most threatening player all game, the Brazilian seemed to win every header from corners. Rattled the bar with a thumping free kick in an all-action performance.
Branislav Ivanovic - 6.5 - Less threatening going forward than in recent weeks, the Serbian had a relatively quiet afternoon dealing with the few counter attacks that came his way.
John Obi Mikel - 6.5 - He still gives away far too many fouls, but the Nigerian covered his defence well and generally kept his side's structure and defensive discipline. Substituted late on for Ballack.
Juliano Belletti - 6.5 - Brazilian was unspectacular on only his third start of the season, showing his worth in defence and attack — but making enough poor challenges and misplaced passes to undermine the fact he is not best suited to the midfield diamond.
Florent Malouda - 6.5 - Sending off was innocuous — two relatively harmless challenges — but suspension will not be welcomed by his manager. While on the pitch he was solid, providing some width going forward and supporting his defence when required.
Frank Lampard - 6 - The tip of the diamond is still not a position where the midfielder can sparkle, as he struggled to really get into the game and cause problems for the opposition. Replaced by Joe Cole late on as Ancelotti looked for more creativity.
Daniel Sturridge - 6.5 - Looked lively and full of confidence on his first league start for the club. Had a couple of chances to open the scoring, but failed to take advantage. Encouraging signs for his manager, but was still withdrawn with 20 minutes left for Kalou.
Didier Drogba - 6 - Quiet afternoon for Drogba, for once the defence got the better of him. Nothing he tried really seemed to come off, as he barely got a sniff at goal.
Substitutes
Salomon Kalou - 6.5 - Had one decent chance to grab his side a win, but Hart denied him.
Joe Cole - 6.5 - Had little chance to really make a difference.
Michael Ballack - n/a - Late change for Mikel, saw little of the ball.
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