Chelsea 1 Sunderland 2: Player ratings

Chelsea

Mark Schwarzer Spilled the ball to allow Wickham to equalise after being handed a rare starting berth due to Petr Cech’s absence. 4/10

Branislav Ivanovic Impressed in parts and got up the park well to aid his side in attack as they looked to searched for a winner. 6

Gary Cahill Another solid performance. Read the game well and dealt with Sunderland’s threat in a commanding manner. 6

John Terry Could have cost his side a goal following a rare mistake but was fortunate and composed himself thereafter. 5

Cesar Azpilicueta Reliable as ever, made it tough for the opposition to get past him and got up the field well on countless occasions. 6

Ramires Tireless performance from the Brazilian but he should have been sent off for ludicrously raising his arm towards Larsson. 5

Nemanja Matic Energetic performance, saw a lot of the ball and tested the Sunderland goal numerous times. 6

Willian Had a couple of sights at goal and brilliantly burst into the visitors half before feeding Eto’o, for what should have been Chelsea’s second goal. 6

Oscar Looked dangerous on the ball but did not get involved in the play as much as fans are used to seeing. 5

Mohamed Salah Came close with a strike just after half time and got into dangerous positions in and around the Sunderland box throughout. 5

Samuel Eto’o Took his goal superbly, though he should have regained his side’s lead when he shot wide after being played through by Willian. 5

Substitutes

Demba Ba Somehow failed to hit the target with a seemingly simple finish from just yards out. 4

Andre Schurrle Gave Chelsea some added flair after arriving onto the field. 5

Fernando Torres Performed well and took no time to get into the match. 6

Sunderland

Vito Mannone (Man-of-the-match) Nervy start but performed brilliantly thereafter and made a key off double save at the end of the first half to ensure Gus Poyet’s men went into the break level. 7

Santiago Vergini Got into the match after a nervy start and made a key challenge to halt Samuel Eto’o in his tracks as he neared the six-yard box. 5

Marcos Alonso Fine effort which led to the equaliser and showed real composure when on the ball. 5

Wes Brown Never stopped running and was a key part of keeping the Chelsea attackers at bay after their first goal. 6

John O’Shea Started shakily but pulled out a captains performance and again showed a fine understanding with Brown. 5

Lee Cattermole Made it tough for the hosts in the middle of the field and got stuck in as ever to give his team added power in midfield. 6

Jack Colback Was over-run at times but a faily solid display from the 24-year-old, who is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs. 6

Sebastian Larsson Goal-saving challenge to prevent Ramires from scoring in what could prove to be a key moment in Sunderland’s survival hopes. 6

Adam Johnson Should have done better after stealing possession of John Terry but opted against using his weaker right foot to pull the trigger and was tackled. 5

Fabio Borini Did not receive much of the ball but looked to go at the Chelsea defence when he did and kept his cool to slot home the decisive penalty. 6

Connor Wickham Again showed growing maturity to step up in a big game. Took his goal well and always looked to make himself available. 7

Substitutes

Emanuele Giaccherini Gave his team some-much added pace. 5

Jozy Altidore Charged into the Chelsea box well before winning the penalty. 6

Ondrej Celustka N/A