The winger has struggled since his summer switch from Manchester City but he looked like his old unplayable self in a 2-1 defeat of Dinamo Zagreb.
Chelsea put in a professional display to beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in their final Champions League fixture on Wednesday night.
The Blues, who had already sealed top spot in Group E, were punished for a slow start, with Dinamo taking advantage of some sloppy play to take the lead after just seven minutes through Bruno Petkovic.
However, Raheem Sterling capitalised on defensive errors at the other end to smartly find an equaliser, before Denis Zakaria arrived into the box unmarked to fire in Chelsea's second after half an hour.
Graham Potter rotated on the hour mark, but his hand was somewhat forced later on when he had to remove Zakaria, whose promising debut was brought to a premature end by injury.
Below, GOAL runs through the winners and losers at Stamford Bridge…
GettyThe Winners
Denis Zakaria:
Good things come to those who wait, and my goodness did Zakaria have to wait patiently. But it paid dividends, as he put in a terrific performance on his belated Blues debut. The tackling was tenacious but considered, his positioning assured and he fired Chelsea ahead with a calm finish, tucking away a well-worked opening. An incredible vote of confidence for all involved. Here's hoping that his injury is not serious and he can now kick on.
Raheem Sterling:
A goal that will do him the world of good, and at an important time ahead of a huge game against Arsenal at the weekend. It's been a hit-and-miss affair for Sterling since he joined Chelsea in the summer, and goals have been hard to come by. But he showed against Dinamo that he's near unplayable when he's at his best, and crucially allowed to venture forward more.
When starting deep and bursting late into the penalty box, pulling together swift plays, Sterling is a menace. Chelsea need quality in wide areas, but it shouldn't be on Sterling to provide that; starting him too deep renders him ineffective, and he's far too good for that.
Reece James:
While touching on Sterling's positioning, it's important to discuss Reece James and just how central he is to Chelsea's hopes of success. His absence only makes that more apparent.
When deploying so many technical, central players and wanting to dominate possession, you need a player of the same high quality out wide. James is exactly that.
His skillset in stretching the play, creating overloads and knitting together passing exchanges in wide areas is integral to getting beyond opposition sides. The Blues coped against Dinamo, but it's in those more competitive outings where he really shows his importance. This game showed they need him back as soon as possible.
AdvertisementGettyThe Losers
Ben Chilwell:
With James out of the team, the chance was there for Chilwell to step up and make Chelsea play completely through the left flank, by showcasing his ability. But it doesn't appear to be happening.
Be it a lack of confidence since returning from injury or just a lack of ability to hang at the highest level, Chilwell can't seem to truly affect games like we see James do, and it's bitterly frustrating considering his potential.
On a night where Chelsea grew into the game to put in a commanding display, their best football was played down the opposite flank. And to make matters worse, he ended the night on the turf clutching his leg; a nightmare end with the World Cup on the horizon.
Cesar Azpilicueta:
Watching one of your favourite players slowly lose their powers is heartbreaking, isn't it?
When Thiago Silva is defying the rules of ageing much like Randy Orton over in WWE, Azpilicueta is suddenly beginning to resemble the Undertaker before his retirement; not bald, just over the hill.
Outjumped for the opening goal and desperately trying to keep up with his colleagues in central defence, it's becoming clear that Chelsea are a much better side without him in the starting line-up.
Chelsea fans:
Let's cut them some early slack; it's a cold Wednesday night and their team had already qualified for the knockout stages regardless of the result. Fair enough.
That's where the sympathy ends. Dinamo Zagreb's away contingent were endlessly vocal in support of their team, who faded from the game more and more as time went on. Chelsea's support, meanwhile, paled in comparison. Can't be getting out-sung for 90 minutes like that.
GettyChelsea Ratings: Defence
Edouard Mendy (6/10): Very little he could do to stop the opening goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta (4/10): Showed his vulnerability early on. Stuck under the ball and outmuscled. Doesn't bode well when considering he was up against favourable opposition.
Kalidou Koulibaly (6/10): Shook off an early injury scare and a touch of ring rust to put in a solid shift.
Trevoh Chalobah (6/10): Chelsea really benefit from his positive approach to games. Front-footed and comfortable in possession.
GettyMidfield
Raheem Sterling (7/10): Excellent footwork to capitalise on poor defending. Such a threat when able to knit together play in tight, advanced areas.
Jorginho (6/10): Textbook Jorginho performance. Lovely vision to start the move for Chelsea's opening goal, before slipping into his usual, deeper role and spraying passes around.
Denis Zakaria (7/10): A promising Chelsea debut. Not at his best, but grew in confidence after scoring and became more influential. Shame he was substituted with an injury.
Ben Chilwell (5/10): Got to show more aggression to get out of his penalty area and stop the cross that resulted in Dinamo's early goal.