The Sun rated Thomas Tuchel’s men as they went six points clear of fifth-placed West Ham…
Edouard Mendy – 10
He was surprisingly called upon far too often that Chelsea would have liked him to have been, and he made three big quality saves in the first half to keep Chelsea in front.
Andreas Christensen – 8
Couple nice little runs out from the back with the ball and defensively he was great once again. Some real consistent quality coming from him lately.
Thiago Silva – 8
It was his vision that picked out the run of Mount to put Havertz in for the first goal, and he is always so comfortable at the centre of the defence being the main guy to play out through. Solid defensively as well.
Kurt Zouma – 7
A little uncomfortable at times out wide and under such a high Fulham press in the first half, but he did the job well largely and contributed to the overall performance nicely.
Reece James – 8
Solid performance from him and his pace was tested a few times at the back which he passed with flying colours. His strength was a massive bonus against a physical side.
Billy Gilmour – 8
A couple of early rusty moments were soon cancelled out by a fine and confident performance in the holding role from Gilmour, he read the game very well and helped out in attack as well as at the back.
Mason Mount – 9
He showed a world class touch and pass to create the opener for Kai Havertz. It was a slightly unusual role for him but again he showed his quality, intensity, and creativity in attack.
Ben Chilwell – 8
The word I always seem to use for Chilwell’s performance is more than appropriate once again, a very ‘tidy’ game from him out on the left and his ball play was great. His witch pass to help setup Chelsea’s second goal was just beautiful.
Hakim Ziyech – 7
He was actually thriving in a deeper role, being allowed to create a bit more from deep and start our counter attacks off, this suited him nicely and he had a good game. He dipped when he was pushed further forward again, and was then taken off.
Timo Werner – 6
He was once again working very hard and doing the dirty work, but he was weak on the ball on occasions in the first half and his first touch was off. His pass through for Havertz’ second goal was very good though.
Kai Havertz – 9
Took his early chance well to put Chelsea 1-0 up, and his overall play as a roaming false 9 was useful and caused Fulham a lot of problems at the back. His second goal was even better with his movement into the box.
SUBS
N’Golo Kante for Ziyech (65 mins) – 7
Kante did Kante things and helped shore up the midfield for Chelsea to see the game out.
Tammy Abraham for Mount (75 mins) – 6. Cameo role for Abraham and he did his job well.
Manchester City have completed the £5.2million signing of Argentine ‘mini Messi’ Dario Sarmiento from Estudiantes.
The Premier League leaders boast one of the best academy setups in the country, and are always keen to bolster their ranks with fresh talent from abroad.
The 18-year-old has drawn comparisons to his compatriot Lionel Messi for his speed and ability on the ball and has been described as a ‘mini’ version of the Barcelona star.
City have been tracking the youngster for some time and began talks to sign him in December, as reported by Sportsmail.
He will officially join the Premier League side in the summer after Estudiantes confirmed the £5.2m deal, which will include add-ons.
In addition to a £5.2m fee, Estudiantes will receive a 20 per cent sell on clause.
Sarmiento will officially become a City player on July 1, Estudiantes have confirmed.
In a statement, the Argentine club said: ‘We can reveal that, upon completion of the transfer agreement signed with Manchester City, Dario Sarmiento will join the English team from July 1 onwards.’
Sarmiento is left-footed, 5ft 6 in and an Argentine youth international – meaning comparisons with Messi have been inevitable.
Real Madrid have reportedly offered Lucas Vazquez a bumper new deal to ward off interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
The winger, 29, is out of contract at the end of the season and negotiations have been slowed by the club’s financial trouble.
The coronavirus pandemic and expensive Bernabeu revamp initially led to talk of his existing £60,000-a-week contract being offered again, only with a ten per cent pay cut due to the circumstances.
However, Spanish outlet AS now report of a fresh proposal worth £84,000-a-week.
It is said Vazquez wants to stay in Madrid having come through the club’s famed La Fabrica academy to make his debut in 2015.
Since then, he has become a vital option on the right side of midfield and defence for Zinedine Zidane, playing 34 times this season.
Interest was reportedly strong from both United and Chelsea as they look to formulate a Premier League title bid next campaign.
Chelsea are reportedly battling Barcelona for the signing of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the summer.
The 26-year-old has played 41 times this season, but it is understood that boss Andrea Pirlo has deemed him surplus to requirements.
And with the France international having two years left to run on his contract in Turin, Juve are willing to cash in on the player.
According to Calciomercato, the Serie A giants would listen to offers in the region of £17million for Rabiot – who they signed on a free transfer in 2019.
They claim that both the Blues and the Blaugrana are eyeing up a swoop at the end of the season.
It has been stated that Barcelona are leading the race to secure Rabiot’s services with his agent and mother Veronique already making contact with the Spanish side.
Should Rabiot decide to make the move to Stamford Bridge, he would link up with former gaffer Thomas Tuchel who managed him at Paris Saint-Germain.
