Chelsea vs Leicester, player ratings: Matchwinner Youri Tielemans excels as Jorginho struggles

Youri Tielemans' brilliant winner was enough for Leicester City to win their first FA Cup on a rainy day at Wembley. It was a cagey match with few chances but Brendan Rodgers' side had their brilliant Belgian and the tightest of offside decisions to thank for their victory.

Who impressed most in the FA Cup final and who failed to perform?

CHELSEA (3-4-2-1)

Kepa Arrizabalaga 6

Chelsea’s “FA Cup keeper” had little to do in a cautious first half but was out of his box early in the second to deal with a dangerous through ball. No chance with the goal.

Reece James 8

Played as one of three central defenders, with his pace needed to try and cope with Vardy. Blocked a dangerous shot from Leicester’s superstar early on.

Thiago Silva 6

Tried to offer help to Rudiger when needed in the first-half, while his brilliant cross almost laid on an opener for Azpilicueta. But turned his back on Tielemans’ shot for the goal.

Antonio Rudiger 7

Still wearing a protective mask, the defender enjoyed an absorbing battle with Iheanacho and managed to keep the in-form striker so quiet that he was subbed early.

Cesar Azpilicueta 6

Moved out to wing-back and came within inches of being able to head Chelsea in front after the half-hour. Not a naturally attacking defender, he offered little going forward.

N’Golo Kante 7

Won the ball so often, especially high up the field, but a couple of errors crept into his game as Leicester took control. Still played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s better spells.

Jorginho 6

Good contest with Tielemans but came off second best too often and was brought off early as Tuchel went chasing the game. Not one of his better games.

Marcos Alonso 6

Chosen ahead of Chilwell and was decent going forward but susceptible to the long ball over him in defence. Castagne almost made Chelsea pay on a couple of occasions that way.

Hakim Ziyech 5

Struggled, like most of Chelsea’s forwards, to make his mark before making way for Pulisic. After a promising opening few minutes, failed to link up with lone striker Werner often enough.

Mason Mount 6

Lively, especially when taking up attacking positions on the left, in the first half but faded out of the picture as Leicester took control. Great late shot was saved superbly by Schmeichel.

Timo Werner 5

Direct in the opening minutes and caused Evans and Soyuncu some headaches but booked for sliding in late on Fofana and only real chance was a poor shot that flew wide.

Substitutes

Christian Pulisic for Alonso 68 mins - 7
Ben Chilwell for Ziyech 68 mins - 7
Kai Havertz for Jorginho 75 mins - 6
Callum Hudson-Odoi for Azpilicueta 75 mins - 6
Olivier Giroud for Werner 82 mins

The subs followed the opener and were both attack-minded with Ziyech having been ineffective and Thomas Tuchel wanting to add Chilwell’s attacking skills at wing-back - it almost worked. Tuchel really went for it with Havertz, Hudson-Odoi, and later Giroud, all added.

Substitutes (not used): Zouma, Mendy, Gilmour, Emerson.

LEICESTER (3-4-1-2)

Kasper Schmeichel 8

Solid presence but, despite Chelsea’s quick start, did not have a serious save to make until he made amazing stops from Chilwell and, especially, Mount’s late shot.

Wesley Fofana 8

The game’s first booking for a crude challenge on Mount as the City defenders adopted an aggressive approach. Solid throughout and stepped up when Evans was forced off.

Jonny Evans 6

Big boost for the Foxes when he was declared fit but was targeted by Chelsea who obviously wanted to test him out. Lasted just over half an hour before his foot injury forced him off.

Caglar Soyuncu 8

Struggled with Werner’s pace and dived in too early on his man on a couple of occasions. Also missed a great free header, from Tielemans’s free-kick, but more than made up for that with his role in City’s late rearguard action.

Timothy Castagne 7

The wing-back was forced into the back three when Evans limped off but before that had made a couple of exciting forays as City tried to get in behind Alonso.

Youri Tielemans 9

Lucky to escape yellow for an early foul on Jorginho but made some other key, timely challenges. Was turning in a man of the match performance even before his spectacular winner.

Wilfred Ndidi 7

Did so much graft alongside the skilful Tielemans. The battle for central midfield was one of the key ones and won by Leicester thanks to the concentration and discipline of Ndidi.

Luke Thomas 8

Youngster did not look out of place on the big stage, covered lots of ground and showed composure beyond his years. Had to be alert to Chelsea’s wing-back threat.

Ayoze Perez 5

Could not find space in which to operate behind his front two but covered a lot of ground and grafted hard, especially when Chelsea threw on so many attacking subs.

Kelechi Iheanacho 5

Showed glimpses of his productive pairing with Vardy but effectively neutralised by Rudiger. Was replaced as Rodgers ended the game with just one striker.

Jamie Vardy 6

Early shot was blocked and missed a difficult chance, glancing a header wide from a brilliant Tielemans ball, just before the break. His intelligent runs were a nightmare for the Chelsea defenders.

Substitutes

Marc Albrighton for Evans 34 mins - 7
James Maddison for Iheanacho 67 mins - 6
Hamza Choudhury for Perez 82 mins
Wes Morgan for Thomas 82 mins

Albrighton was thrown on when Evans could not continue, forcing a tactical reshuffle. With Iheanacho quiet, Brendan Rodgers added Maddison’s playmaking capabilities. Choudhury and Morgan were defensive reinforcements with the latter lucky to escape a late own goal.

Substitutes (not used): Ward, Amartey, Pereira, Mendy, Praet.

Referee: M Oliver 7