Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Man City: Champions League a Pipe Dream on This Evidence

Liam Rosenior will raise alarm bells based on what he saw at Stamford Bridge.

This was not an afternoon Chelsea will want to remember. | Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

Chelsea’s rotten run of Premier League form continued as Manchester City ran riot at Stamford Bridge to seal a deserved 3–0 win.

The Blues had won just one of their six previous matches heading into Sunday’s clash, but they didn’t fire at any point despite their Champions League qualification hopes hanging in the balance after Liverpool’s win over Fulham 24 hours prior.

Both teams were well below their best in the first half, though the final scoreline didn’t flatter City in the end, such was their dominance in the second period.

Nico O’Reilly got the party started, ghosting away from Andrey Santos to head home from close range, before Marc Guéhi fired home a sweet right-footed effort that any striker would have been proud of. Jérémy Doku made it three, capitalizing on a horror moment for Moisés Caicedo, to put the game out of the sight—efforts from Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer not enough to deny Gianluigi Donnarumma a clean sheet in City’s goal.

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One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Enzo Fernández had a watching brief once more. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

To the chagrin of Liam Rosenior, the major talking point heading into the game was the conscious decision to drop Enzo Fernández. The Argentine had spoken out of turn in regards to a potential transfer to Real Madrid, suggesting he’d like to live in the Spanish capital one day, and Rosenior’s response—in line with the club’s hierarchy—was to internally ‘suspend’ the Blues’ vice-captain for two games.

Doing so against Port Vale in the FA Cup didn’t really matter, but leaving out one of your most influential players against a Manchester City team hunting a ninth Premier League title while in the midst of a Champions League qualification battle? That’s a bold decision. Some would say naive.

Rosenior’s clearly a principled man and has spoken openly about his desire to change the culture at Chelsea. He’s trying to embrace togetherness, team spirit and fighting for a common cause. Fernández’s comments were definitely at odds with that. But is fighting the good fight and trying to set an example worth robbing Chelsea of Fernández’s talent? Perhaps not.

Heading into the game, Fernández was one of the Premier League’s, not just Chelsea’s, leading players in a number of key metrics: goals scored and shot taken, chances created from open play and through balls into dangerous areas—all areas the World Cup winner has excelled in. He’s been brilliant.

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Enzo Fernández’s Impact for Chelsea

Statistic	Number	Chelsea Ranking	Premier League Ranking
Goals	8	3rd	4th (midfielders)
Expected goals (xG)	10.42	1st	2nd (midfielders)
Total shots	44	2nd	3rd (midfielders)
Chances from open play	46	1st	3rd
Through balls	21	1st	3rd

Chelsea were anything but brilliant in the first 45 minutes against City. They had a couple of counter attacks led by Palmer, playing centrally in the No. 10 role, but a lack of composure saw those opportunities come to nothing. Estêvão was back in the fold, playing on the right wing, and although he looked bright and willing, you could tell he’s spent some time on the sidelines.

It meant the Blues went into halftime with an xG—in a game they really wanted to attack in and win—of just 0.25. Five shots in total, just one on target. Fernández may well have done better in the situations Chelsea got themselves into, particularly when Palmer rifled into the side-netting, attempting to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post rather than firing across goal.

The first 10 minutes of the second half were the same story. City not only took the lead through O’Reilly; they restricted Chelsea to less than 30% possession and just two passes into the final third—the area Fernández has excelled in all season.

Things only got worse as the game went on and you have to wonder, for all of Palmer’s brilliance, whether maybe, just maybe, his best position isn’t at the tip of midfield like he and many others hope it is. Fernández has a presence, a steel about him—none of that was on display in a desperately disappointing afternoon in the capital.

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

Moisés Caicedo (left) had an afternoon to forget. | Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

GK: Robert Sánchez—6:5: Had no chance with any of City’s three goals, even if some will want to point the finger at him for rolling the ball to Caicedo in the lead up to the third.

RB: Malo Gusto—5.9: So often an exciting attacking outlet for Chelsea, yet none of that attacking impetus was on display here. Instead, it was all about trying to contain Doku.

CB: Wesley Fofana—6.2: A less than commanding display from Fofana, though the fact Erling Haaland didn’t score is a small win.

CB: Jorrel Hato—5.8: Clearly needs to improve if he’s to cut it at Premier League level. Levi Colwill can’t come back soon enough.

LB: Marc Cucurella—6:4: Had to try and thwart the lively Antoine Semenyo and did well for the most part. Was also one of Chelsea’s main attacking threats, when they actually dared venture forward.

CM: Moisés Caicedo—4.5: Uncharacteristically slow and labored in everything he did. The mistake for City’s third goal summed up a horrendous display.

CM: Andrey Santos—6.5: Shrugged off by O’Reilly far too easily for the game’s opening goal and looked like a player who built his reputation on playing in Ligue 1.

RW: Estêvão—5.2: Looked well off the pace throughout and was completely nullified as an attacking threat.

AM: Cole Palmer—6:5: Palmer’s languid, relaxed style often gives the impression that he doesn’t care. His facial expressions suggested otherwise—not only was he exasperated with others, he seemed to constantly disagree with the referee.

LW: Pedro Neto—6:5: Matheus Nunes was barely noticeable from a Manchester City perspective, which tells you everything you need to know about Neto’s lack of threat.

ST: João Pedro—6:1: Missed Fernández’s midfield dynamism more than anybody else and couldn’t press effectively. Provided no goal threat.

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (67’ for Estêvão)—6.0: Offered next to nothing after coming on midway through the second half.

SUB: Roméo Lavia (67’ for Santos)—6.5: The game was completely over as a contest as soon as the Belgian entered the field of play. Hard to judge where he’s at in games like this.

SUB: Liam Delap (81’ for Pedro)—N/A

SUB: Dário Essugo (82’ for Caicedo)—N/A

SUB: Josh Acheampong (88’ for Gusto)—N/A

Subs not used: Teddy Sharman-Lowe (GK), Mamadou Sarr, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu.

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What These Ratings Tell Us

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— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 12, 2026

• The majority of Chelsea’s supporters already know this, but expectations must be tempered with Estêvão. The Brazilian has shown flashes of brilliance in his first year in west London, both in the Premier League and in the Champions League. Yet he’s got plenty to learn about influencing big games, particularly when Chelsea are under the cosh for any length of time. He wasn’t solely to blame for the Blues’ demise here but noticeably went missing when City took charge.
• You don’t often see Moisés Caicedo drop a stinking performance—in fact, you’ll do well to remember the last time he did. But Sunday’s clash couldn’t have gone any worse for the Ecuadorian, who many now rate as the best defensive midfielder in the world—a crown that Rodri held for a number of years. It was complete role reversal as City’s experienced Ballon d’Or winner controlled proceedings with Bernardo Silva—Caicedo and Andrey Santos reading not just from a different page but a different book altogether.

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The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Home Battering

• Chelsea were always step behind City and that fact is illustrated by the superior passing accuracy of Guardiola’s side. A gap of 8% doesn’t sound like much, but in a game between two top teams it can be the ultimate difference-maker.
• City cranked up the pressure in the second half, pinning Chelsea back for large periods, and they forced 12 corners on the day compared to four from the hosts.
• Rodri and Bernardo Silva ran the show in central midfield, but it was Rayan Cherki’s brilliance that often allowed City to recycle possession. Their 64% share of the ball amply reflects their dominance.

Statistic	Chelsea	Man City
Possession	36%	64%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.14	1.89
Total Shots	12	18
Shots on Target	3	8
Big Chances	2	3
Pass Accuracy	83%	91%
Fouls Committed	10	14
Corners	4	12

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