Rich Godden rates the players after the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Player Ratings: Crystal Palace (a)
By Rich Godden
Updated Wednesday, 25th August 2004
Paulo Ferreira- Defensively solid, abysmal getting forward. That is, when he actually made the effort to join the attack. If you are a full back in a side playing with four central midfielders, you have got to get forward. 6
William Gallas- Looked extermely comfortable all night, didn't even need to break sweat. 7
John Terry- Great performance, tower of strength at the back. Won everything in the air, blocked the few shots that Palace had and, generally, was immense! 9
Celestine Babayaro- Good showing from Baba. He looked far more confident than when he played last season and, unlike Ferreira, he wasn't afraid to get forward. Put a peach of a cross onto Drogba's head for the opener! 8
Claude Makelele- Playing at the base of the diamond, Claude was his usual industrious self. Won back possesion consistently and, almost as importantly, used the ball well. Great start to the season. 8
Tiago- Great debut goal by the Portugese star, now he just needs to work on the rest of his performance. Often found wanting in possesion and he will need to become stronger in the tackle. But his goal seemed to give him confidence, and Chelsea fans will now be expecting great things of him! 7
Frank Lampard- Great performance off the ball, terrible on it. Frank's passing wasn't it's usual radar-like self, and his shooting was wayward to say the very least. But he got about well off the ball and made his presence felt. 7
Joe Cole- Up until he had to play the final ball, Joe was magnificent. He ran with the ball superbly and, at times, was taking people on for fun! But he could never quite manage that killer pass or threatening shot, which was a disappointment. Plenty of positives for him to take though. 8
Didier Drogba- Great first goal by Didi, and a decent performance to go with it. Starting to look sharper and he started to look a lot more confident when running with the ball. And, vitally, held the ball up superbly at times to bring others into the play. 8
Mateja Kezman- Disappointing performance by Kez, as he never really made an impact on the game. Made a few nice passes and his movement was good, but never really given a chance in front of goal. Might be better off playing alongside Eidur instead... 6
