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Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings: Victor Moses equals match-winner Diego Costa as Blues march on

Man-for-man marking from Chelsea's 1-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium

Sunday 20 November 2016 19:39 GMT

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

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1/22Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

<b>Middlesbrough:</b> Victor Valdes - 7 out of 10 out of 10

He made a number of crucial saves throughout, and in regard to the goal, he was left helpless following a defensive error. It was a good performance from him today.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Antonio Barragan - 6 out of 10

Looked very promising from the start, with his diagonal through balls causing problems for the Chelsea defence.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Calum Chambers – 7 out of 10

Made a number of vital clearances that saved his side at times, looked strong in his tackles and worked well from the back out.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Ben Gibson - 5 out of 10

It was a mediocre performance from Gibson today. He worked hard, but was wasteful in possession at times.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Fabio - 5 out of 10

There was a feeling of confidence about his performance today, and it showed in his movement and passing. However, he was going missing at times.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Adama Traore - 7 out of 10

His pace caused Chelsea problems when he charged at them. He’s a powerful player with an eye for attacking and this should have been used to more of an advantage for Boro.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Adam Forshaw - 6 out of 10

His work rate was faultless today and he really appeared to find his feet as the game progressed.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Adam Clayton – 5 out of 10

He showed glimpses of brilliance when on possession, but was quiet for the majority.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Marten De Roon - 6 out of 10

He was a battler throughout and used possession well. However, he was clumsy in a few of his tackles which was unnecessary. 6 out of 10.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Gaston Ramirez - 6 out of 10

He was a key element to the Middlesbrough attack, but aside from this he was persistently giving away fouls.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Alvaro Negredo – 5 out of 10

Aside from his late chance which tested Courtois, it was a relatively quiet performance by a man of such high standards.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

<b>Chelsea:</b> Thibaut Courtois – 6 out of 10

He had very little to do today, except one late strike from Negredo.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Cesar Azpilicueta – 5 out of 10

Looked dangerous going forward, but gave away a number of silly fouls.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

David Luiz – 6 out of 10

He was very physically strong today and done well in the air.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Gary Cahill – 6 out of 10

It was a classic Cahill performance today. Played well, tackled well and used possession well from the back.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Victor Moses – 8 out of 10

His impact on the team is phenomenal. He’s quick, clever on the ball and an absolute powerhouse – great game for him today.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

N’Golo Kante – 7 out of 10

He worked well with Moses, creating numerous chances and deliveries into the danger zones.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Nemanja Matic – 6 out of 10

He was at the heart of a number of Chelsea attacks today. His passing was faultless, but was caught out of position occasionally.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Marcos Alonso – 6 out of 10

Made a few bad decisions when in possession, but aside from that he worked well today and created a few chances.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Pedro – 7 out of 10

His work rate was faultless and he came very close to getting himself on the scoresheet, only to be denied by the crossbar.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Diego Costa – 8 out of 10

His goal was an example of his true poaching nature as he pounces on the first Boro mistake. Great performance all round from him today.

Middlesbrough vs Chelsea player ratings

Eden Hazard – 7 out of 10

He created a number of chances throughout and was a key element to the Chelsea strikeforce.

Chelsea hit the top of the Premier League table as a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough saw them overtake Liverpool to reach the summit for the first time this season.

Diego Costa notched his 10th goal of the season – the first player in the Premier League to do so this season – to secure victory for Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, with the three points enough to give them a slender lead at the top of the table by a solitary point over Liverpool and Manchester City.

The Blues were made to work for it against a resolute yet defensive-minded Boro side, but Costa reacted with to a ball that dropped in the danger zone after a Chelsea corner was not dealt with. The Brazil-born Spain international hit the ball first time past Middlesbrough goalkeeper Victor Valdes four minutes from half-time to score what would prove to be the match-winner.

Middlesbrough had little to show attacking-wise for their efforts, with Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois not called into action until the 78th minute when he needed to safe from former City striker Alvaro Negredo.

Despite a late surge to try and find the equaliser, Boro came up short and the win saw Chelsea send out a title warning to their nearest rivals that there will be no repeat of last season this time around.

So how did everyone perform? Click on the gallery above to find out.

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