Chelsea FC

2.83

• 
  21

  2

  2.50

  Petr Cech

  Rarely called into action but, when he was, he did his job and did it well. Also dealt impressively with Stoke's aerial bombardment.

• 
  17

  11

  2.50

  Branislav Ivanovic

  Attacked and defended with his usual muscularity and energy on the right and rarely put a foot wrong, though his performance was soured slightly by a cynical dive to try and win a penalty during the first half.

• 
  22

  3

  3.00

  Ashley Cole

  Carried the ball forward well down the left but didn't have too many ideas about what to do with it once he crossed the halfway line. Stoke's lack of width meant he was rarely exposed defensively for his attacking forays. Popped up brilliantly in the box late on and provided a cool finish to give his side the points.

• 
  19

  6

  2.50

  David Luiz

  Defended well against Crouch and Walters, and his bursts forward with the ball from defence unsettled Stoke's massed ranks. All too often, though, his misplaced willingness to shoot from range checked his team's attacking momentum.

• 
  18

  8

  3.00

  Gary Cahill

  Was likewise solid in dealing with Stoke's muscular strikeforce, and used the ball efficiently whenever he had it.

• 
  21

  9

  3.50

  Ramires

  His relentless energy and work rate stifled most of Stoke's attempts to counter-attack, while his awareness on the ball enabled his team to dominate possession for long periods.

• 
  25

  9

  3.00

  Oscar

  The talk of Europe after his sensational double against Juventus in midweek, the Brazilian endured a somewhat less dreamy first Premier League start, although he was still his team's main goal threat.

• 
  18

  18

  2.50

  John Obi Mikel

  Played with his usual unshakeable calm in front of his back four, even when his lapses in concentration gifted Stoke possession. Thankfully, the disgusting racist abuse he was subjected to on Twitter does not seem to have affected him.

• 
  20

  13

  2.50

  Eden Hazard

  Still displayed the odd touch and piece of control which betrayed his class, but this was a quiet day for the Belgian.

• 
  17

  16

  2.00

  Fernando Torres Flop of the Match

  A tepid performance against QPR raised concerns about the legitimacy of his 'revival', and, this display will have done little to silence the doubters. His touch was wayward and, on the one occasion he was granted a shooting chance, his nerve failed him.

• 
  21

  7

  4.00

  Juan Mata Top of the Match

  The best of Chelsea's creative triumvirate. Constantly probing with his movement and laser-guided passing, he created his team's clearest openings for Oscar and Torres, and his flick for Cole's winner was delightful.

Substitutions

• 
  16

  9

  John Terry

  Brought on late as Chelsea sought to protect their lead.

• 
  15

  7

  Frank Lampard

  Replaced Mikel in the final 10 minutes, but his introduction was incidental to Chelsea's winner.

• 
  17

  7

  3.00

  Victor Moses

  Injected some much needed pace, width and urgency into Chelsea's attack when introduced for Hazard with half an hour left, but was unable to find the decisive breakthrough.

Stoke City

2.86

• 
  10

  5

  3.50

  Asmir Begovic

  Commanded his area excellently and made a save every time he was called upon, although Chelsea's wayward finishing meant he was never fully extended. Could do nothing about Cole's late winner.

• 
  2

  7

  3.00

  Geoff Cameron

  Shackled Hazard sufficiently that the Belgian was withdrawn after an hour, and bombed forward to provide a cross in the first half which Kightly might have done better with.

• 
  5

  8

  3.00

  Robert Huth

  The big German lived up to his "Berlin Wall" moniker on his return to Stamford Bridge, blocking Torres' path to goal at almost every turn.

• 
  1

  5

  3.00

  Marc Wilson

  Was never embarrassed in a one-on-one situation, whether he was facing Hazard, Oscar or Mata, and also stung Cech's palms with a firm drive in the first half.

• 
  7

  7

  4.00

  Ryan Shawcross

  Marshalled an immensely disciplined defence superbly, making several last-ditch blocks and tackles which drastically reduced his goalkeeper's workload. Unlucky to end up on the losing side.

• 
  1

  5

  3.00

  Glenn Whelan

  Stoke's approach means central midfield is far from the most crucial area of the pitch, but he nevertheless hassled his opponents and provided fairly consistent deliveries from set-pieces.

• 
  4

  7

  3.00

  Steven N'Zonzi

  Gave his side an uncharacteristic level of composure in the middle of the pitch, although he couldn't prevent Chelsea winning the overall midfield battle.

• 
  2

  10

  2.00

  Charlie Adam

  Looked a little off the pace and resorted to fouls whenever his lack of speed was exposed. Replaced by Owen with 25 minutes to go.

• 
  2

  7

  2.50

  Michael Kightly

  Looked dangerous early on when cutting inside from the left, but faded as the afternoon wore on and was replaced by Etherington with just under 20 minutes left.

• 
  6

  4

  3.00

  Jonathan Walters

  Worked hard just off Crouch and the duo's understanding was in evidence throughout, although it never yielded any real reward.

• 
  7

  5

  3.00

  Peter Crouch

  Toiled admirably with Walters often as his only means of support, and was always a handful in the Blues box.

Substitutions

• 
  3

  7

  2.50

  Matthew Etherington

  Injected some pace and width into his side's attack in the last 20 minutes, but couldn't provide a decisive cross.

• 
  5

  6

  2.50

  Kenwyne Jones

  Replaced Crouch with 15 minutes left but, short of making his presence felt, his impact was minimal.

• 
  4

  7

  2.00

  Michael Owen

  Brought on to bring his side a goal, he was never really in the game.