Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Hull: Familiar Issues for Chaotic Blues

Chelsea’s blushes were spared by their new-look attacking trio once again as Xabi Alonso’s side were held to a frustrating 2–2 draw by Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues took the lead after just seven minutes through Morgan Rogers, who fired into the near post after being picked out by João Pedro at the edge of the box. But defensive frailties—the club’s trademark issue so far this season—soon allowed Hull back into the game.

An error from Jorrel Hato gifted Mohamed Belloumi the chance to equalize, before the Algerian struck again just six minutes later. This time, Emi Martínez failed to claim a corner, with Semi Ajayi’s header crashing off the bar and Belloumi reacting quickest to fire home the rebound.

Come the hour—or the 66th minute, in this case—cometh the man. Pedro pulled Chelsea level after being teed up by Cole Palmer, firing an unstoppable effort into the net from close range.

That takes Chelsea’s new-look front three to 14 goal contributions already this season, with Pedro on six, Palmer on four and Rogers on four. The trio are quickly proving they have the firepower and chemistry to cause problems for any defense.

The issue, once again, was at the other end. Chelsea continue to look dangerous in attack, but their defensive lapses are making life far more difficult than it needs to be.

The Problem That Won’t Go Away

Emi Martinez Chelsea — Martinez has failed to convince for Chelsea so far. | Alexander Canillas/MB Media/Getty Images

If we’re talking about the “problem that won’t go away” for Chelsea, it’s easy to point to their defensive frailties, with Xabi Alonso’s side looking dangerous in the final third one minute and capable of collapsing in the defensive third the next.

But if we zoom in on an issue that has been lingering for far longer, there’s one position that continues to raise serious questions: goalkeeper.

Robert Sánchez developed an unfortunate habit of producing costly errors during his Chelsea career, with his display on the opening day against Fulham apparently enough to see him shipped out to Como and replaced by Emi Martínez, who arrived from Aston Villa and immediately took over as the club’s new No. 1.

As a World Cup winner, Martínez arrived with serious pedigree, but his performances so far have done little to convince Chelsea fans that he is actually an upgrade on the Spaniard. Against Hull, he first flapped at a corner, allowing Ajayi to head the ball onto the bar. The rebound then fell to Belloumi, whose deflected effort found the net.

Later, Martínez spilled a relatively tame long-range effort straight into the path of Ollie McBurnie, who really should have scored. Yes, the Argentine recovered brilliantly to make the save, but he should have been comfortably holding onto the initial shot in the first place.

That’s now seven goals conceded in three games, and while it’s far too early to draw any definitive conclusions, the alarm bells are certainly starting to ring. Chelsea may have changed the man between the posts, but they haven’t necessarily solved the problem that has been an Achilles’ heel at Stamford Bridge for far too long.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Hull City (4-2-3-1)

Joao Pedro Chelsea — Another day, another Pedro goal. | Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Emi Martínez—6.2: Looked shaky throughout. Failed to claim the cross that ultimately led to Hull’s second goal, albeit after a deflection, and nearly made a howler of a long-range effort that he spilled before Ollie McBurnie failed to convert the rebound.

RB: Malo Gusto—6.7: Did what he had to do defensively well enough on the right, but was wasteful in possession going forward. Failed to complete a single accurate long pass and was off target with his crosses.

CB: Wesley Fofana—7.6: Strong in the air and on the floor, Fofana was also effective at distributing the ball forward, making a total of 14 passes into the final third.

CB: Levi Colwill—6.9: Not quick enough to close down Belloumi for Hull’s second goal—a worrying pattern this season, with Colwill too often caught ball-watching or, at times, complaining to the referee or engaging in little battles with opposing players rather than simply doing his job.

LB: Jorrel Hato—6.0: Hooked just after the break following a difficult first half at left back, rather than the left wingback role in which he has excelled so far this term. Misjudged the bounce for Hull’s equalizer in what was a rookie error.

CDM: Roméo Lavia—6.9: Decent defensively with 10 contributions and tried to move the ball forward, but struggled to progress it into areas that could really hurt the opposition.

CDM: Reece James—7.3: Not quite at his sharpest in possession, but his delivery from set pieces remained as dangerous as ever. Moved across to right back and did well after Malo Gusto was substituted.

CAM: Cole Palmer—7.7: His run and low cross for Pedro’s equalizer was superb. Elsewhere, he was a little quieter, with Hull’s players notably swarming him whenever he got on the ball.

RW: Pedro Neto—7.3: Neto had been thriving in his new role as a right wing-back, but looked decidedly less impactful when pushed further forward against Hull. He didn’t do much wrong, but he offered little in the way of attacking threat, partly because Hull’s compact defense gave him very little room to work with.

ST: João Pedro—8.3: Another goal and assist for Pedro, who now has six goal contributions already this term. Chelsea’s standout player on the day.

LW: Morgan Rogers—7.7: Already proving himself to be worth every penny for the Blues, but missed a good opportunity to win it late on.

SUB: Pep Chavarría (46’ for Hato)—6.2: Almost gifted Hull the winner late on after cheaply giving the ball away on the halfway line.

SUB: Valentín Barco (70' for Lavia)—6.2: Booked not long after coming on for a professional foul, but was tidy on the ball.

SUB: Danny Welbeck (78' for Gusto)—6.2: Didn’t really have enough time to make an impact.

SUB: Estêvão Willian (86’ for Neto)—N/A

SUB: Maxence Lacroix (86’ for Fofana)—N/A

Subs not used: Mike Penders (GK), Josh Acheampong, Geovany Quenda, Jamie Gittens

What the Ratings Tell Us

Jorrel Hato Chelsea — Hato had a day to forget. | Chris Lee/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Jorrel Hato is better suited to the left wing-back role than as a natural left back. When given the freedom to push forward, he can be devastating, as shown by his assists against Brighton and Arsenal. His FotMob ratings in his three previous Premier League games—7.1, 7.6 and 7.0—only further underline the point.
Chelsea’s trio of Rogers, Pedro and Palmer are the real deal—but they’re already carrying a huge burden for this team. Without them, it’s safe to say the Blues would be seriously struggling. Only Lavia and Neto have scored elsewhere in the league this season, while only Lacroix and Hato have registered assists.

The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Disappointing Draw

Chelsea had plenty of the ball (68% possession) but struggled to create clear-cut chances—fewer than Hull, in fact—once again relying on moments of magic from Rogers, Pedro and Palmer.
An 87% pass accuracy isn’t bad by any means, but it falls a little short of the league’s top teams, who rarely dip below 90%. Chelsea need to be a little more careful and precise in possession.
Chelsea have scored more set-piece goals than any other Premier League team this season, but they had 10 corners against Hull and nothing to show for them. Credit must go to the visitors, who clearly recognized the threat and dealt with it well.

Statistic	Chelsea	Hull City
Possession	68%	32%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.89	1.49
Total Shots	12	13
Shots on Target	7	5
Big Chances	2	4
Pass Accuracy	87%	70%
Fouls Committed	7	12
Corners	10	4

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