1) Rahman deserves to stay in the team long term
Chelsea have got themselves into all manner of difficulties in defence this season, trying a whole host of combinations with little success.
One option they have rarely used has been left-back Baba Rahman, who had become virtually a forgotten man despite arriving at Stamford Bridge from Augsburg in a £21.7 million deal in the summer.
Rahman has started only one Premier League match - Chelsea kept a clean sheet and triumphed 2-0, albeit at home to a struggling Aston Villa. You don't command a fee of £21.7m without being a good player, and the 21-year-old showed encouraging signs against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night.
Rahman was bright from the start, using the ball well and getting forward whenever possible. He provided the natural left footed attacking option at left-back that they haven't always had since Ashley Cole faded, allowing Cesar Azpilicueta to switch to his most natural position of right-back and Kurt Zouma to switch to his most natural position of centre-back. Round pegs in round holes, and Chelsea looked more balanced.
Rahman's attacking instincts meant that Kiev's Andriy Yarmolenko - a summer target for Everton - was forced on to the defensive and rendered ineffectual in the first half. The highly-rated winger improved after the interval, causing some problems, and defensively there are still some areas for Rahman to work on.
But the Ghanaian completed 3 out of 3 tackles and was successful with 45 of 51 passes - second only to Nemanja Matic. A total of 13 came in the attacking third, only bettered by Cesc Fabregas and Oscar. Rahman also made 10 ball recoveries, more than anyone else on the pitch. Given Chelsea's recent problems in defence, he has surely made a strong case to start again in Saturday's Premier League game at Stoke.
2) Willian covers deficiencies in open play
Prior to this match, only two of Chelsea's nine Champions League goals had come via open play. It is perhaps an illustration of how they have struggled creatively, relying heavily on set-pieces and penalties.
Their opening goal against Dynamo did come from open play, albeit from an own goal as Aleksandar Dragovic headed Willian's cross into his own net. But Chelsea were facing another poor result, just when Jose Mourinho least needed it, when Dragovic scored again with 13 minutes to go, this time in the right net.
The Blues needed another set-piece to avoid a very unwanted slip-up, with Willian netting his third free-kick in four Champions League group games this season. Even Zico will be asking for tips soon.
Willian received a standing ovation and a tousle of the afro from his grateful manager as he was substituted late on, having also completed 5 of 8 take-ons. He had 4 shots in total, 2 of which were on target.
"Willian scored an unbelievable goal which many players would have deserved, because many players had very good performances," Mourinho said afterwards. "But I think he more than anyone deserved that goal."
Dynamo boss Sergei Rebrov expressed his ambivalence post-match, but the fact that Willian used to play for Dynamo's rivals Shakhtar Donetsk will not have been lost on the vociferous travelling supporters.
3) Oscar outshines Fabregas
All three of Chelsea's attacking midfielders enjoyed some bright moments against Dynamo. Fabregas was restored to the starting line-up in place of Eden Hazard, who didn't look best pleased to be taking his place on the bench before kick-off, and the Spaniard completed 9 ball recoveries during the match - as well as 43 of 51 passes. Significantly 19 of those passes came in the attacking third, 6 more than any other player on the pitch. But Oscar was arguably the more dangerous of the two, operating from the left hand side. The Brazilian created 4 chances and had 3 shots, 2 of which were on target.
4) Matic tackles his dip in form
Another player to come into the side was Matic. He did not always catch the eye with anything too spectacular, with Ramires appearing more dominant in the first half as he marauded around the pitch. But the Serbian had a steady return to the team, completing 46 of 56 attempted passes, more than any other player. He was also successful with all 8 of his tackles. Matic still has some way to go to reach his absolute best after losing confidence and form this season, but this was a step in the right direction.
5) Not Costa effective
Diego Costa worked hard up front but the striker's most notable moment was when he failed in his bid to secure a penalty after going down in the area in the first half. Whether it was a penalty or not was debatable, but Costa seemed to be looking for it when he might have been better served going for goal.
The striker has now gone five games without a goal and his return of only three in 15 appearances must be an increasing worry given the lack of any real competition. Radamel Falcao still looks a shadow of his former self and missed the game through injury, while Loic Remy appears destined to be perennial back-up at the Bridge. Costa didn't win any of his 4 aerial duels, and succeeded with only 4 of 8 attempted take-ons.
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