Chelsea did just about enough to see off an insipid Manchester United side in the FA Cup final on Saturday, with the Blues running out 1-0 winners thanks to Eden Hazard’s 22nd-minute penalty.
The tie in the English capital saw plenty of top stars live up to their billing, but some had outings to forget.
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Here are The Statesman’s player ratings from an intense fixture at Wembley Stadium:
Manchester United
David de Gea
Didn’t have much to do all night, made one decent stop from Hazard but was powerless when the Belgian stroked home the penalty.
Rating: 6/10
Ashley Young
Defensively held his own, but what was he doing when he was near the Chelsea box?
Awful crosses and a player of his experience should definitely do better.
Rating: 5/10
Chris Smalling
An okay performance, not at fault for the opener.
Shackled Olivier Giroud fairly well.
Rating: 6/10
Phil Jones
How is he in Gareth Southgate’s England squad?
Don’t be surprised if Mourinho sells him first in the summer after his horror show.
Rating: 4/10
Antonio Valencia
Like Young, did fine work defensively but the end product from modern-day fullback can’t be found lacking in a cup final.
Chelsea defended easily against his one-dimensional
Rating: 5/10
Ander Herrera
Started off well, but Eden Hazard eventually gave him the runaround as the game progressed.
Stuck to his task gamely enough though.
Rating: 6/10
Nemanja Matic
United’s Serbian enforcer did a decent job of shielding his defence at Wembley.
Could he have done more? Probably, but all in all he was decent.
Rating: 6/10
Paul Pogba
United fans are still waiting to see the Juventus version of Pogba on a consistent basis and on Saturday’s showing, they will have to wait another season.
Struggled to unlock Chelsea’s defence and missed a gilt-edged chance at the end.
Rating: 5/10
Jesse Lingard
Showed plenty of purpose, but couldn’t quite make things happen for the Red Devils.
Rating: 5/10
Alexis Sanchez
Struggled to make an impact at a venue where’s he’s almost always shone.
Rating: 5/10
Marcus Rashford
Truth be told, just had half-chances all night, but if the United youngster wanted to prove to Mourinho he can lead United, he probably did the opposite.
Rating: 5/10
Substitutes
Romelu Lukaku
Clearly not fit and couldn’t find the equaliser for his side after replacing Rashford.
Rating: 6/10
Anthony Martial
Another abject performance off the bench from the talented Frenchman.
Clearly doesn’t want to play under Mourinho/at United.
Rating: 4/10
Juan Mata
Came on with barely any time left.
Rating: N/A
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois
Made a string of stops to preserve his side’s clean sheet. The one from Jones in the second-half took the cake.
Rating: 9/10
Antonio Rudiger
Excellent outing from the German defender. Kept United’s attackers largely under wraps and showed his pace when nipping attacks in the bud.
Rating: 8/10
Cesar Azpilicueta
Another solid showing from Chelsea’s ‘Mr Dependable’.
Rating: 7/10
Gary Cahill
The Blues captain put in a good performance at the back.
Rating: 7/10
Marcos Alonso
Not a typically marauding display from the Chelsea wingback, but did well whenever his side didn’t have the ball.
Rating: 6/10
Tiemoue Bakayoko
This may seem silly, but the French midfielder looks like he’s settling well at Chelsea.
Rating: 6/10
N’Golo Kante
Give this guy two medals for he deserves it.
Was everywhere and didn’t let any of the United players breathe.
Rating: 9/10
Cesc Fabregas
While it would be harsh to say the Spaniard is a passenger, he simply doesn’t bring enough to the side anymore.
Faded alarmingly in the second-half.
Rating: 5/10
Victor Moses
Struggled to cope with Ashley Young, but did a decent job overall.
Rating: 6/10
Eden Hazard
Dazzled with his nifty footwork all game long and once again, was the difference in a high-profile game.
Won and scored the penalty.
Rating: 8/10
Olivier Giroud
Didn’t get the aerial service he thrives on, hence was largely anonymous.
Rating: 5/10
Substitutes
Alvaro Morata
Came on for Giroud with one minute left.
Rating: N/A
Willian
Sent on by Conte in injury-time to run down the clock.
Rating: N/A
