Chelsea analysis: Danny Drinkwater debut a boost but Ethan Ampadu and Charly Musonda have work to do

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Simon Johnson25 October 2017

Antonio Rudiger's header and a late strike from Willian gave Chelsea a 2-1 win over Everton on Wednesday to book their place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

Everton, playing their first game under caretaker manager David Unsworth following the sacking of Ronald Koeman, delivered an improved performance but it was not enough to stop the London club.

Charly Musonda sent a cross to the back post and Rudiger rose well to power a header past Everton keeper Jordan Pickford for the opener, before Willian and Dominic Calvert-Lewin traded goals in stoppage time.

Simon Johnson was at Stamford Bridge to assess the key talking points...

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Conte will be happy to finally see Drinkwater

After nearly two whole months of waiting, Conte got to hand Drinkwater his debut for Chelsea. The England international has been sidelined with a calf and thigh problem since joining from Leicester for £35m at the end of August.

With N'Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko both struggling with injuries at the monent, having another midfielder to choose from is just what Conte needs. Drinkwater played an hour here and while he got off to a nervous start - giving the ball away a few times - the 27-year-old grew into the game.

Long passes started to be sprayed left and right, much to Conte's approval in the technical area. Clearly his match fitness will still be an issue, but at least Conte has Drinkwater as part of the squad now.

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Davide Zappacosta is taking his opportunity

Victor Moses must have feared the worst when he suffered a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace earlier this month. Not only did it mean some time on the sidelines, but a chance for rival Zappacosta to establish himself in the first team.

The Italy international has had to be patient since joining on deadline day from Torino for £22m. This was just his fourth start of the campaign as Conte has preferred to stick with Moses on the whole.

But with Moses on the sidelines, Zappacosta is getting a chance to get more comfortable in his surroundings and with his fellow team-mates. It showed against Everton with Zappacosta making one attacking run after another from the right wing back position.

On this evidence, Moses won't be guaranteed to reclaim his first team spot when he is fit again.

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Reality check for Musonda but he still shows quality

After starring against Championship opposition in the last round against Nottingham Forest, this was a chance to see how he'd fare against higher calibre opposition.

Everton may be struggling in the Premier League, but there were a number of senior experienced pros out on the pitch. The 21-year-old looked even more diminutive with the likes of Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka in Everton's defence.

With a lot less time and space to operate in, the attacking midfielder found it a lot harder to get into the game. The fancy flicks didn't come off and he was outmuscled off the ball by stronger opponents.

Yet even on a quieter night, Musonda provided a fine creative touch - a sublime cross to set up Chelsea's opening goal. In many ways, that provides even more encouragement, the fact that he can still produce something when not at his best.

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Chelsea have acquired fine back-up to Courtois

It is not easy finding a keeper that is willing to be second choice, but is still good enough to play for the first team at Chelsea. Asmir Begovic made it clear he wanted to leave for more game time in the summer and joined Bournemouth for £10m.

Chelsea moved for free agent Willy Caballero, who was released by Manchester City, and it looks an inspired bit of business. The 35-year-old has a wealth of experience at Premier League and Champions Level - last season he ended up taking Claudio Bravo's place at City.

Tonight, he was arguably Chelsea's best performer as Everton posed a much greater threat in the second half. He made fine stops from Wayne Rooney, Kevin Mirallas and Phil Jagielka - much to Chelsea's relief.

No Blues' supporter will want Courtois to suffer any injury problems, but at least they have a reliable man in the squad to replace him.

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Ampadu needs to work on his passing

This was the 17-year-old's first start for Chelsea, a remarkable achievement for a player that joined from Exeter in the summer. There is already a lot to admire about Ampadu, for starters he doesn't look overawed by being among more esteemed company.

Conte has liked what he's seen in training thus far, the only question at this early stage is what is his best position. The Welshman can play at left back and a centre half, but has so far been picked in central midfield in the Carabao Cup.

He isn't afraid to have a 50-50 tackle, the question at this very early stage of his career is over his distribution. There were several occasions this evening where an ambitious pass didn't come close to finding a team-mate.

Keeping possession is vital if you're picked in the middle of the pitch and it is something he needs to work on. Still, the future looks very promising indeed