Chelsea picked up their first European win of the season this evening courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Nemanja Matic got the only goal of the game for the visitors, nodding in a Cesc Fabregas free kick at the back post with 10 minutes to go until half time.
Below, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during an action-packed night in Lisbon.
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SPORTING
Goal
Rui Patricio: By far his side's best player. May have done a little better on the goal, but more than made up for that with a string of saves that kept the score down. Without such a good performance, Sporting may have lost this by five or six. (8/10)
Defence
Cedric: Part of a Sporting defence that was overrun time and time again. Failed to add any threat going forward and wasted a couple of good positions with speculative long-range strikes. (5/10)
Mauricio: Really struggled against the movement of Costa and co in the first half, but did make one or two vital challenges. Improved in the second half before being stretchered off following a collision with Costa. (5/10)
Mouhamadou Sarr: Endured a torrid first half and, although he improved a little after the break, was still found wanting on a number of occasions. Probably the biggest reason why Chelsea found it so easy to break through on so many occasions. (4/10)
Jonathan Silva: Seemed to forget that he was a defender at times, allowing the likes of Hazard to roam freely down the wing. Was at fault for the goal, letting Matic free, and could have cost his side a few more as well. Improved after the break but, all round, a poor display. (4/10)
Midfield
Joao Mario: Struggled to have any sort of impact as Chelsea dominated the midfield area. Came into the match a little more in the second half but was still largely ineffective. (5/10)
William Carvalho: Was touted as the star man for Sporting before the match, but failed to live up to the hype. Did not give his defence enough protection and was overrun on a number of occasions. Showed a few decent touches on the ball, but was outclassed in the middle of the park tonight. (5/10)
Adrien Silva: His side's most potent attacking threat for much of the match. Worked hard at both ends of the field and, although he wasted most of his decent openings, he looked like the only one capable of making a difference until the latter stages of the second half. (7/10)
Attack
Andre Carrillo: His side's top scorer this season, but got no joy against this Chelsea defence. Was largely anonymous for most of the match. (6/10)
Islam Slimani: Had one decent chance that he failed to make the most of, but also found it tough against a solid Chelsea backline. Improved as the second half wore on, but could not make a telling difference. (6/10)
Nani: Another who grew into the match. Came close with a couple of decent strikes from range, but was unable to come up with the difference. His side's brightest attacking spark alongside Adrien Silva. (7/10)
Substitutes
Paulo Oliveira: Came on for the injured Mauricio shortly after the hour mark and served to make the defence more sturdy. (6/10)
Fredy Montero: One of two changes in the 81st minute and almost provided the equaliser with a flicked header towards the near post that went narrowly wide. (6/10)
Diego Capel: The second of the double change with nine minutes remaining, but could not get involved in the match and failed to make the required difference. (6/10)
CHELSEA
Goal
Thibaut Courtois: Had very little to do all evening, but dealt with the rare moments of action well. Commanding as ever, but he will know that tougher tests are to come in Europe. (7/10)
Defence
Branislav Ivanovic: A typically solid display from the right-back, who kept Nani and then Carrillo quiet for the vast majority of the match. (7/10)
Gary Cahill: Gave Slimani very little joy and comfortably dealt with everything that came his way. Helped towards an easy evening for Courtois. (7/10)
John Terry: Misjudged one cross that found Slimani, but otherwise did not put a foot wrong in another strong display. Rewarded with a clean sheet to mark his 100th Champions League appearance. (7/10)
Filipe Luis: Also contributed to the good defensive display and provided his side with an extra attacking body down the left during a dominant first half. (7/10)
Midfield
Nemanja Matic: Magnificent display in the middle of the park. Ran the show in that area of the field, doing both his defensive and attacking duties to the highest order. Scored the winning goal to cap a majestic performance. (9/10)
Cesc Fabregas: As classy and creative as ever. Picked holes in a leaky Sporting defence time after time and also weighed in with an assist to Matic. (8/10)
Andre Schurrle: A night to forget for the German. His general play was not too bad as he continued to get in dangerous positions, but his end product was poor. Missed two great chances in the first half and was hauled off before the hour. (5/10)
Oscar: Also missed a clear chance in the second half, but worked hard off the ball to do his bit defensively and also carved open the Sporting backline more than once. (7/10)
Eden Hazard: Was a pain for Sporting to deal with all night as he continuously ran at the defence. Got some rough treatment, but always bounced back up for another go. (8/10)
Attack
Diego Costa: Missed a sitter of his own inside two minutes having been played through on goal, but caused Sporting problems all night with his movement. Will be upset not to have a goal to his name, but it was a good performance on the whole and he showed no signs of his hamstring troubles. (7/10)
Substitutes
Willian: Replaced Schurrle just before the hour mark and showed a couple of nice touches here and there without really changing the course of the match. Set up a good chance for Luis late on, but the defender snatched at his shot. (6/10)
John Obi Mikel: Introduced in place of Oscar with 20 minutes remaining and served to shore up the Chelsea midfield. Did his job well and made one brave block to stop a Carvalho thunderbolt. (7/10)
Mohamed Salah: Should have killed the game off once and for all late on with a one-on-one, but joined the long list of Chelsea players to have missed a gilt-edged chance. (5/10)
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