Chelsea played host to Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday as the Blues looked to rediscover their winning form after losing two consecutive games in all competitions. As expected, they made an excellent start by opening the scoring through Trevoh Chalobah in the 8′. Thomas Tuchel’s men protected their lead well and should have even extended their lead, but VAR had other plans.
In the second half, Southampton came out guns blazing and pinned back the Chelsea team. Saints were finally rewarded with a penalty—which was won by Valentino Livramento. James Ward-Prowse converted that penalty to make the score 1-1. However, the Southampton captain was sent off in the 77′ for making a dangerous tackle on Jorginho. This made life difficult for the visitors. Chelsea made the numerical advantage count as Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell both scored and secured the points.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player fared against Southampton:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6/10
A very average performance today from Edouard Mendy. Throughout the game, the Senegalese goalkeeper was barely tested. But even then, Mendy didn’t look comfortable with the ball and was sloppy in both clearing and passing the ball to his teammates. When called into action the 29-year-old couldn’t save Ward-Prowse’s penalty.
Trevoh Chalobah (Right centerback): 8/10
One of the star players of the game on Saturday was Chalobah. The academy graduate scored his second goal of the season just eight minutes after the start, stooping low and finishing a corner which was guided at the back post by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Calobah defensively also was solid with the joint-most ariel duels won, most tackles attempted and most clearances made.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 7/10
The Brazilian veteran started the game in a very uninspiring fashion with some doggy passing. Nevertheless, to the team’s advantage, the defender came back in his stride and controlled the defense with his excellent passing. The 37-year-old Thiago Silva got booked in the second half of the game for a hefty challenge on Nathan Redmond.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 7/10
Antonio Rudiger throughout the game was very solid defensively and kept the likes of Adam Armstrong at bay. He advanced to the opponents half many times and on one instance, he ran through for a brilliant run created a goal for Romelu Lukaku, which was rightly ruled offside.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right wingback): 8.5/10
The best player on the pitch was club captain Cesar Azpilicueta. The veteran fullback kept things solid at the back and bombed forward whenever given a chance. Just like all of his teammates, the Spaniard had a bad start in the second half of the game by being pushed back by Kyle Walker-Peters. Azpilicueta came alive at the end of the game and provided a brilliant assist for Timo Werner’s goal, which helped the team restore their lead.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): 8/10
Loftus-Cheek made his first Premier League start of the season since the opening day of the 2020/21 season. Having been selected in place of Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek clearly showed on Saturday that he can easily replace the Italian midfielder. Possessing the ability to break with pace and impressive strength to hold off the opponent, the 25-year-old put in an amazing performance which even the manager applauded when being substituted.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 7/10
Mateo Kovacic put in a much better performance against Saints than his outing against Juventus midweek. The Croatian midfielder expressed himself more and tried to dictate play with Loftus-Cheek. Just like everyone though, he was pushed back by the Southampton players in the second half and gave away possession a few times. He was replaced by Jorginho in the 73′.
Ben Chilwell (Left Wingback): 7.5/10
Ben Chilwell finally made his first Premier League start for the club this season after playing the second half in Turin. The wingback had a decent game overall and showed glimpses of his old self in patches. Chilwell did give away a penalty by bringing down Valentino Livramento, which was converted by Ward-Prowse. He redeemed himself with a thunderous side-foot volley for the Blues’ third goal of the afternoon.
Jorginho (Central midfielder): 6/10
Jorginho came in and replaced Kovacic to help control the game in the final quarter of the match.
Ross Barkley (Central midfielder): 6/10
The English midfielder didn’t get enough minutes to fully impress, but his pass from one side of the pitch to Azpilicueta—which resulted in Werner’s goal—was world class.
Timo Werner (Right winger): 8/10
Playing at the top again with Romelu Lukaku, Werner put in one of his best performances in a Chelsea shirt. The German striker had a good first half in which he did score, but his goal was disallowed by VAR. Just to keep count, this was the 16th time VAR has intervened in a goal for the striker, making him the most unlucky forward in Europe. Nevertheless, he kept going and his hard work paid off as he helped the team restore its lead in the final minutes.
Romelu Lukaku (Striker): 7/10
Just like the previous two games, Lukaku was quiet on Saturday on the scoring front. The Belgian striker was unfortunate not to score—hitting the bar late on—but did well to stretch the Southampton defense at times during the match. Lukaku needs to rediscover his mojo back before it’s too late, but there’s little reason to worry.
Callum Hudson Odoi (Left winger): 6.5/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi finally got the chance to play in a more attacking position on Saturday. The winger looked lively for most parts of the game and was taking on his opponents, which was a positive sign. Again, the youngster was lackluster in front of the goal, scuffing almost all of his chances. Hudson-Odoi was then replaced by Mason Mount in the 65′.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 7/10
Mount was brought on in place of Hudson-Odoi halfway through the second half and had an instant impact on the game. Mount brought some much-needed energy to Chelsea’s attack and made two key actions in the final third during his time on the field.
What would you rate each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!