Premier League Player Ratings: Stoke 1-2 Chelsea

Thomas Sorensen - 6 - Looked calm and in control of his defence until an innocuous injury sustained while clearing a backpass lead to his substitution just before half-time.Andy Wilkinson - 6.5 - The academy graduate looked at times unable to cope with the Chelsea onslaught, but didn't lose his cool and worked hard to help his fellow defenders.Abdoulaye Faye (c) - 6.5 - Lifted the Britannia with a well-taken early header, but undid much of that good work by allowing Drogba to turn him too easily for Chelsea's equaliser.Robert Huth - 6.5 - The imposing German was solid against his former club, repelling the waves of attacks with determination. Ryan Shawcross - 7 - Shawcross is rapidly developing into a very good Premier League defender. Good in the air and tenacious in the tackle, unfortunately even his best efforts were not good enough to earn a point.Danny Collins - 6 - Interacted well with his new teammates to keep opponents at bay for the majority of the match, but manager Tony Pulis will want to see more from him in future.Rory Delap - 5.5 - Delap's long throws caused Chelsea only mild problems. Made a couple of vital late challenges playing as, effectively, a sixth defender. Dean Whitehead - 5.5 - Worked hard for his side, but along with Whelan and Delap were clearly out-matched in midfield.Glenn Whelan - 5.5 - Took the initiative during the early part of the game as Chelsea failed to stamp their authority on the match. Good delivery from dead ball situations, but faded as the game went on.James Beattie - n/a - Came off after nine minutes, having picked up an injury while trying to take advantage of an errant Ivanovic backpass.Dave Kitson - 5 - Never looked like adding a second goal to his Stoke account, and was largely absent from proceedings. Was replaced by Tuncay.SubstitutesRicardo Fuller - 6 - His trickery was well dealt with by the Chelsea defenders, but the Jamaican put himself about well and competed well in the air. Most of the game was played in the other half, however.Steve Simonsen - 7.5 - First real action was to pick the ball out of the net after a Drogba finish he could do little about. The substitute goalkeeper spent the rest of the match diving spectacularly to frustrate Chelsea, and was desperately unlucky with Malouda's last-gasp strike.Sanli Tuncay - n/a - Came on midway through the second half but only had a few opportunities to show the glimpses of the quality he might bring to the Potters' strikeforce. ChelseaPetr Cech - 5.5 - In general coped admirably with the aerial threat posed by Stoke, but as the Czech keeper found himself in no man's land for Faye's opener he will no doubt be in for some criticism. Such is the life of a top flight goalkeeper.Jose Bosingwa - 6 - Didn't have much to do defensively, but only fleetingly threatened on his frequent forays forward. Branislav Ivanovic - 5 - Wasteful in possession and clumsy in the tackle, Ivanovic looked out of his depth in the centre of defence. John Terry (c) - 7 - Clearly adapting his game to accommodate Ivanovic's deficiencies, Terry was imposing as always in defence. Will be disappointed to have conceded.Ashley Cole - 7.5 - Arguably Chelsea's most threatening player going forward, a lot of what the Blues did well came from the left. John Obi Mikel - 5.5 - Comfortable on the ball and distributed well, but lacked a real cutting edge.Michael Ballack - 5.5 - The German performed unspectacularly in midfield, and did nothing really to distinguish himself throughout the match.Florent Malouda - 6 - Was conspicuous in his absence for much of the match, but Chelsea fans won't mind after the Frenchman popped up late with a dramatic winner.Frank Lampard - 7.5 - Started slowly but grew into the game to become the dominant force in midfield. Exquisite vision and pass for Drogba's goal brought Chelsea back into the match.Salomon Kalou - 5 - Roaming on the right wing to provide width for much of the match, Kalou looked unable to cope with the physical nature of Stoke's defence. With few notable contributions, it was no surprise when the Ivorian was withdrawn on the hour.Didier Drogba - 8 - Outstanding leading the line for the away side. An impressive turn and unstoppable shot brought his side the first goal, and he would have had another but for Simonsen's heroics.SubstitutesNicolas Anelka - 6 - Came on for Kalou and looked more threatening than the youngster, but wasn't presented with a genuine goalscoring opportunity.Michael Essien - 6 - Came on to add power and energy to the midfield, and the Ghanaian ensured the final period of the game was dominated by the away side.Juliano Belletti - n/a - Had little time to make an impact.