Chelsea analysis: Stop Eden Hazard, stop ‘Sarri-ball’ after Blues boss starts the wrong striker

Chelsea went from staring at their first defeat of the season to the feeling of euphoria as Ross Barkley’s stoppage time equaliser denied Jose Mourinho a memorable win on his old hunting ground.

Standard Sport’s Simon Johnson was in attendance at Stamford Bridge today, and here’s his assessment of Chelsea’s performance.

Stop Eden Hazard, stop Chelsea?

Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season is still intact, just, but their overreliance on Hazard was exposed today.

As impressive as the west London club have been in the opening few months, they have needed Hazard's brilliance to make the difference.

The Belgium international has enjoyed his best start to a campaign in English football, scoring eight goals in his first 10 appearances.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was always going to come up with a game plan to keep him quiet by fair means or foul.

Initially it seemed to revolve around different players taking it in turns to kick/foul the 27-year-old at every opportunity.

But the visitors also made sure there were plenty of bodies in and around him when the ball headed his way.

There was still the odd flash of inspiration, but nothing compared to what we have been used to up till now.

With Hazard relatively negated, the spotlight was on the other players and whether they could provide any magic.

The answer was largely no, especially in open play and Chelsea's opponents will hope to expose this weakness in the future.

Maurizio Sarri starts the wrong striker

Chelsea's new coach has made few mistakes since he took over in July, but this afternoon he made a big one.

There were many eyebrows raised when Alvaro Morata's name was named in the team instead of Olivier Giroud.

Sarri explained beforehand that it was due to the former feeling fresher of the two following international duty, yet you couldn't tell.

Attack after attack broke down with the Spain forward losing possession too easily or just flopping to the turf.

And whenever a dangerous cross was centred into the box, the former Real Madrid star was nowhere to be seen.

It was noticeable too how disheartened the crowd became over Morata's contribution and it had a negative impact on the atmosphere.

Admittedly Giroud has yet to find the net for the Blues this term, however they have played their best football with him on the pitch.

Surprisingly, Sarri didn't switch the pair until the 78th minute, by which time a lot of damage had already been done.

Antonio Rudiger's cult status continues to grow

There are few players more popular than Rudiger among Chelsea fans these days and it is easy to see why.

The German international has become a mainstay of the back four and his defensive displays improve on a weekly basis.

He is certainly strong in the tackle, yet his contribution to Chelsea's attack shouldn't be underestimated.

Rudiger is silky smooth in possession and his passing from deep is a joy to behold. One ball over the top to Marcus Alonso should have led to a goal in the first half but the left back failed to control the ball.

The 25-year-old is a danger from set pieces too and showed that with his bullet header to put Chelsea in front.

It was also his effort which rebounded off the post that led to Ross Barkley netting a dramatic late equaliser.

Mourinho is no longer the Special One at Chelsea

Where once there was a love affair between Mourinho and the Chelsea fanbase, now animosity is in its place.

Mourinho was revered at Stamford Bridge when he led them to seven major trophies in two spells.

But the relationship has soured since he took charge of Manchester United in 2016 and Chelsea have been on the receiving end of some of his barbs.

This felt like a new low though as Mourinho clashed with a member of Sarri's backroom staff immediately after Barkley's strike.

He took exception to a member of Sarri's staff celebrating directly in front of him and had to be held back by some sprightly stewards.

It led to cries of 'f**k off Mourinho' from the majority of the Chelsea faithful, something unthinkable just a few years ago.

And Mourinho responded in kind as he walked off the pitch holding three fingers aloft to indicate how many League titles he won for the Blues.

Another message sent to Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Sarri keeps saying this duo have a bright future at Stamford Bridge but the Italian's actions speak louder than words.

Once again the Italian didn't pick the duo in the first XI - nor even on the bench - and it won't have gone down well at all.

Loftus-Cheek has grown accustomed to being ignored by Sarri this season. He has made just three appearances of which one was from the start.

Christensen has fared little better with three outings in the senior side and this is bound to have ramifications for January.

The Dane's father and agent warned yesterday that the defender will look to leave in the new year if he doesn't play more.

Loftus-Cheek has suggested he will have to think of a loan switch should his time on the sidelines continue.

The duo will surely be in contention to face Bate Borisov in the Europa League on Thursday, but being involved in that competition is unlikely to appease them.