Chelsea Vs Sunderland: Player Ratings

Simon Mignolet - 5

Not the greatest of games from Mignolet to be honest. He didn't have a great deal to do, and there was little he could do about the goals Chelsea scored, but he managed to drop a few crosses whilst others were punched away without any of his usual confidence.

Phil Bardsley - 6

Didn't do anything especially wrong at right-back, but didn't do a great deal that could be deemed worthy of 'good'. This isn't a game where you can criticise him too heavily though, although he was inexplicably put on corner duty with the game on the line. That crazy Di Canio eh?

John O'Shea - 7

Decent performance from O'Shea in defence, fairly solid throughout as he tends to be. Unremarkably solid. Also as he tends to be.

Matt Kilgallon - 7

The own goal for Kilgallon was unfortunate to say the least. However, that aside he looked pretty decent. Certainly a lot better than Titus Bramble anyway and did more than enough to warrant a start next weekend against Newcastle. Surprised to see him in there, but a good game from him.

Danny Rose - 6

Didn't get forward anywhere near enough, and following a knock in the first half which had him down on the ground for a while, he didn't quite look himself for the rest of the afternoon. Defended well enough though.

Adam Johnson - 6

Johnson just continues to infuriate me. He could and should have had the ball in the net on at least two occasions but screwed up on both. Then spent most the game drifting in and out of things and making very little impact. Needs to kick on, and quickly otherwise I'd be tempted to take him out the team entirely.

Alfred N'Diaye - 8

I thought N'Diaye had an excellent game in the centre of midfield, winning back possession plenty and providing good cover for the rest of the midfield to get forward. Probably the pick of a mediocre bunch in the middle today. Looks good for the future though.

Craig Gardner - 6

Certainly put himself about a bit in the middle, and to his detriment really. He picked up a yellow which on another day might have been red, still though he'll miss the next two games through suspension now. Didn't provide a great deal going forward but it seemed that was more tactical than anything else.

Seb Larsson - 5

Surprisingly Larsson started on the left hand side of midfield and found himself to be on the periphery of the action all afternoon. Showed us his full range of "dismayed arm-waving" though, which is always a highlight of his performances.

Stephane Sessegnon - 8

A high mark but worth it for the first half performance alone. During the first 45-minutes he was outstanding and a constant threat for us. Not only that but he seemed to be using his full arsenal of tricks, and providing a great outlet for our midfield to get attacks into motion.

Connor Wickham - 6

Chosen in preference to Danny Graham in attack, the youngster showed a little bit of his promise but ultimately didn't get the ball anywhere near often enough to make a dent in the Chelsea defence. That said, his mobility and chasing down provided us with a little more impetuous than what Graham has offered in recent weeks.

James McClean - 5

Came on to replace Seb Larsson and while provided a little more energy down the left flank he offered minimal threat for us in search of an equaliser.

Jack Colback - 5

Turns out that he's equally as unlikely to change games with ten minutes to go as he is from the start. Quiet.

Man Of The Match - Stephane Sessegnon

Not many emerged from the second half with any credit, including Sessegnon, but his superb performance in the first half see's him take the award for our man of the match today. Needs to have a couple of full games like that and we might just be ok. Credit to Alfred N'Diaye and Matt Kilgallon for decent performances too.

We'll have even more comment and reaction in our Match Stream HERE, so stick around.