Christian Pulisic is in his first season at Chelsea, following a $73 million move from Borussia Dortmund. The campaign's first half saw the 21-year-old U.S. international make 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and claiming five assists.
ESPN will continue to assess Pulisic's performances, with updates to this feature being added after every Chelsea match.
Pulisic's previous games (first to last): Aug. 11 - Dec. 29 | Brighton | Nottingham Forest | Burnley | Newcastle | Arsenal | Hull | Leicester | Man United | Tottenham | Bayern | Bournemouth | Liverpool | Everton | Aston Villa | Man City | Leicester | West Ham | Watford | Crystal Palace | Sheffield United | Norwich | Man United | Liverpool
Opponent: Liverpool (3-5; July 22, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 9. Replaced Mount in the 59th minute and made an instant impact, setting up Abraham. He then went and scored a well-taken goal.
Opponent: Manchester United (3-1; July 19, FA Cup)
How he performed out of 10: N/A. Pulisic was an unused substitute as Chelsea booked their place in an all-London FA Cup final, helped by two glaring errors from goalkeeper David De Gea and an own goal by Harry Maguire.
Opponent: Norwich City (1-0; July 14, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 7. Whipped in a beautiful cross for Giroud's opener, in what was another clear example of the American's quality. The 21-year-old almost added a goal of his own just prior, forcing a fine save from Krul.
Opponent: Sheffield United (0-3; July 11, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 6. Perhaps the only bright spark for Chelsea in what was a drab opening half for the visitors. Pulisic lacked support from his forward partners Willian and Abraham and his individual performance suffered as a consequence.
Opponent: Crystal Palace (3-2; July 7, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 8. Boasted his physical attributes by taking control of proceedings down the left and was rewarded with a deserved goal. Great visionary play to pick out the advancing Willian and Giroud on occasions too.
Opponent: Watford (3-0; July 4, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 8. The U.S. international is filling the void left by Eden Hazard nicely with seamless runs and a phenomenal ability to turn his marker. He also won the penalty after turning Etienne Capoue inside out just before half-time.
Opponent: West Ham (2-3; July 1, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 8. Pulisic was a bright spark throughout the game. He had the first chance of the match when he curled an effort just over the bar. He then headed wide from a Marcos Alonso cross. His movement and fleet of foot earned the penalty that saw Chelsea break the deadlock, and he was a key driver as they chased the points late on.
Opponent: Leicester City (1-0; June 28, FA Cup)
How he performed out of 10: 8. It was a Man of the Match outing for the American as he drove the heart of Chelsea's attack until being subbed off, with everything from his turns to his vision on point.
Opponent: Manchester City (2-1; June 25, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 8. Opened the scoring with a superb break from his own half that ended with a composed finish. He came within inches of grabbing himself a second in similar fashion, this time rounding Ederson only for Kyle Walker to clear the ball on the goal line.
Opponent: Aston Villa (2-1; June 21, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 7. Came off the bench to score the all-important equaliser within five minutes of being on the pitch to set Chelsea back on the comeback trail. Looked lively in his general play.
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Opponent: Everton (4-0; March 8, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. With Pulisic still missing, all four of Chelsea's most attacking players -- Mason Mount, Pedro, Willian and Olivier Giroud -- were on the scoresheet in a comprehensive win at Stamford Bridge.
Opponent: Liverpool (2-0; March 3, FA Cup)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. With his absence against Jurgen Klopp's side, it's has been two full months since Pulisic last featured for Chelsea.
Opponent: Bournemouth (2-2; Feb. 29. Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic's absence has reached double figures and Frank Lampard admitted on Friday that he expected the U.S. star to return quicker: ''The projected time out was a lot less than what it's turned out to be. However, I had a similar injury myself as a player and was out for three months -- the worst injury I had -- so I can certainly speak with him and sympathize.''
Opponent: Bayern Munich (0-3; Feb. 25, Champions League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic missed his ninth straight game as he continues to work his way back from injury. In his absence, Chelsea fielded an line-up unchanged from the win over Tottenham, but were swept aside as Bayern scored three second-half goals to take control of the last-16 tie.
Opponent: Tottenham (2-1; Feb. 22, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. As expected, Pulisic did not return to the squad for the London derby against Tottenham. Frank Lampard played Marcos Alonso and Reece James as wing-backs, with the former doubling Chelsea's lead with a drilled strike.
Opponent: Man United (0-2; Feb. 17, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic didn't return in time to help change Chelsea's fortunes in a defeat to Manchester United, despite having begun training with the U23s on his road back to fitness. Frank Lampard also ruled out the U.S. international for the Blues' London derby with Tottenham on Saturday, with Pulisic still not recovered from the adductor injury that's kept him out of action since Jan. 1.
Opponent: Leicester (2-2; Feb.1, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic was again unavailable as Chelsea picked up a vital point away from home against third-placed Leicester. Chelsea coach Frank Lampard did not address Pulisic's injury directly in his prematch news conference, although an update on the club's official website read: "Christian Pulisic is likely to remain unavailable with the thigh injury that has kept him out since New Year's Day."
Opponent: Hull (2-1; Jan. 25, FA Cup)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic missed his side's FA Cup fourth round win at Championship club Hull as he continues to recover from injury. Following the midweek draw against Arsenal, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said of the midfielder's timetable for return: "It will probably be the other end of the February break but he is getting better and he is not that far away."
Opponent: Arsenal (2-2; Jan. 21, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic remains out with the groin injury he suffered on Jan. 10, which will keep him out until mid-February. Three games in eight days, against Manchester United, Tottenham and Bayern Munich, beginning on Feb. 17 mean Chelsea will be keen to get the U.S. international up to full fitness as soon as possible.
Opponent: Newcastle (0-1; Jan. 18, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic failed to return following his groin injury suffered on Jan. 10. On Friday, it was reported he'd be out until "mid-February" given the rehabilitation and rest required. It's possible he returns to fitness in time for Chelsea's visit of Manchester United on Feb. 17.
Opponent: Burnley (3-0; Jan. 11, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic was not named to the Blues squad after picking up an injury in training during the week as Chelsea cruised to a win over Burnley. He has another week to recover from his injury before the Blues travel to Newcastle for their Premier League clash on Saturday, Jan. 18.
Opponent: Nottingham Forest (2-0; Jan. 5, FA Cup)
How he performed out of 10: No rating. Pulisic was not named to the Blues squad for a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge that sees them move on to the FA Cup fourth round. The U.S. international will get his next chance to impress on Saturday when Chelsea host Burnley in the Premier League.
Opponent: Brighton (1-1; Jan. 1, Premier League)
How he performed out of 10: 6. It was another lacklustre performance from Chelsea, and they were oftentimes downright dysfunctional. Pulisic didn't stand out from that assessment, for better or worse. He enjoyed moments of quick interplay and clever close control that created opportunities, but his finishing was lacking and at times his decision-making was labourious.
Highlights: The U.S. international's quick feet were a ray of hope throughout his 66-minute performance. His four take-ons were more than fellow attackers Tammy Abraham and Willian combined in his time on the pitch, creating a pair of chances in the first half and leading to three shots in the second. His passing wasn't as sharp as it should've been, but he did dispatch a couple of clever balls that led to chances, one scooped effort to send Abraham into the area and another to Mason Mount that put the Blues in position to enjoy an extended spell of position in and around the Brighton box.
Lowlights: His decision-making in transition was at times poor, which manifested itself in a passing percentage of 77% -- better than only Abraham and N'Golo Kante. He was impatient after beating two defenders in the first half, sending in a hopeful cross forward when he had no players forward with him. The shots he created for himself through clever footwork in the second half let him down; they were from positions and distances that should've yielded more than two missed targets and one simple save from Mat Ryan.
While the lowlights paint a picture of nothing but doom and gloom from Pulisic, no one from the West London club looked particularly impressive. Pulisic was one of 11 Blues dressed in black whose performances were as dark as their kits.