Valencia Inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge in their Champions League opener just five days after changing their manager.
The London side enjoyed a greater share of possession and circulated the ball around well, but failed to make it count.
A 74th-minute goal from Rodrigo that arrived from a set-piece decided the game and handed Valencia a crucial win away from home.
Chelsea were handed a life-line when Fikayo Tomori earned a penalty in the death. But Ross Barkley could not make it count as he struck the crossbar and sent it over.
How did the Chelsea players perform in this lacklustre tie? We take a look.
CHELSEA (3-4-3)
Kepa Arrizabalaga: Could not have done much about the goal as it came from a defensive error, hardly tested otherwise. 6.
Kurt Zouma: Was kept on his toes at all times by Denis Cheryshev, did well to thwart any danger. The goal was conceded right after Zouma left the pitch. 6.
Andreas Christensen: Held the fort well until the 74th minute, won a few duels against Rodrigo. 6.
Cesar Azpilicueta: Provided some well-driven crosses into the box, won some crucial duels in midfield and put in a fair shift at the back. 6
Fikayo Tomori: Produced some surging runs forward but did not deliver an end product, accidentally won a penalty for Barkley to miss. 6.
WIN WIN WIN 🦇💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/r0GFSzgBX2
— Valencia CF English 🦇💯 (@valenciacf_en) September 17, 2019
Marcos Alonso: One of the few plusses for Chelsea, looked good in attack and defence, won several 50-50 balls. Looked dangerous on the dead ball. 7.
Jorginho: Did a fair job against Valencia’s press, provided a good fulcrum between defence and attack. Could have done more creatively. 6.
Mateo Kovacic: Was Chelsea’s most creative player, looked great at the centre of the pitch and broke Valencia’s line a few times with his passes. 7.
Willian: Chelsea’s best player in the first half, created several chances and started most of the threatening move, team-mates not on the same wave-length. Slacked off a bit in the second half. 7.
Tammy Abraham: Good positioning and movement, but lacked the killer instinct and did not produce real substance. 5,
Mason Mount: Forced out inside 15 minutes because of an injury. N/A
Substitutes
Pedro Rodriguez: Incoherent plays and poor shooting – one game Pedro will want to forget. 5.
Olivier Giroud: Came on in the 73rd minute but tested Jasper Cillessen only once and the Valencia custodian produced a routine save. 5.
Ross Barkley: Came on for the last 10 minutes and missed a penalty to ensure Chelsea left the pitch empty-handed. 3.
