Chelsea’s away form doesn’t seem to be trending in a downward direction—as its home form is right now—following a 6-0 drubbing of Southampton. The Blues were winless in their previous two matches, losing against Brentford and Real Madrid at home, but their win against Saints on Saturday shows that while they may be down, they certainly aren’t out. Marcos Alonso opened the scoring at St. Mary’s with a fine strike inside the box as the visitors got off to a fast start. Mason Mount and Timo Werner added braces and Kai Havertz also got onto the scoresheet on the day.
Chelsea thumped the south coast squad for a third time this season in all competitions. The result will surely help boost the Blues’ confidence levels ahead of the all-important second leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday. It will also boost their hopes of finishing in the top four this season.
Here are the player ratings from Chelsea’s victory over Southampton:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 7/10
Edouard Mendy was a surprise starter for the Blues ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga of the back of his recent blunders. The Senegalese international didn’t really have much to do in the opening period and that stayed the same in the second period too. Except for the one time he had to make a fine save to keep Che Adams out and ensure a clean sheet for Chelsea.
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Andreas Christensen (Right centerback): 7/10
Andreas Christensen played on the right of the back three once again at Southampton. The Dane found himself strolling more often than not as Saints offered little threat going forward. He slotted into the middle of the defence when Thiago Silva was taken off, displaying his versatility. He played with composure and ensured the Blues kept their second clean sheet in five matches.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 7/10
Thiago Silva started this match, even though many fans were against the idea with an important Champions League match early next week. This truly wasn’t expected given that he has played almost every minute for Chelsea this season. However, he’s simply too important to this side. The fact that he’s 37 years old and still playing this well is unbelievable. The Brazilian comfortably took care of business throughout the contest and he really did not have much to do. Silva was taken off in the 63′ for Reece James, probably to keep him fresh for the Blues’ away tie on Tuesday.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 8/10
Just like his fellow defensive partners, the German didn’t really have much to do during the game, but he made sure his side left the south coast with a clean sheet. Antonio Rudiger got involved whenever the Blues were in possession as he took his usual trademark shot. Unfortunately this time, it went well wide of Fraser Forster’s goal.
Reece James (Right centerback): 7/10
James played on the right of the back three for the final half hour of the match. He was not troubled for the entirety of his time on the pitch.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Right wingback): 8/10
Ruben Loftus-Cheek at right wingback? That definitely raised lots of eyebrows when Thomas Tuchel named his starting XI, but the Chelsea academy graduate showed his versatility as he dominated the right flank. Loftus-Cheek provided the cross that led to the opening goal and he linked up well with fellow academy graduate Mason Mount throughout. He should have gotten an assist to his name as the cross he provided to Werner was sumptuous. Loftus-Cheek has been putting in consistent performances for most of the campaign, so is a start against Real Madrid on the cards for the England international?
N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 8/10
N’Golo Kante was brought off to begin the second half against Real Madrid after an abysmal display in the first 45 minutes. Suffice it to say, he was way better against Southampton. The midfielder was a constant energetic presence, helping Chelsea ensure its victory. In the second half, the France international almost got on the score sheet with a driving run forward and an attempted dink over Forster. It was a goal that would have definitely been a contender for Chelsea’s Goal of the Month, but it was saved by the keeper and the rebound was slotted home just a few seconds later by Werner.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 7/10
Mateo Kovacic was picked ahead of Jorginho for this tie and he should have definitely started ahead of him last on Wednesday against Los Blancos too. Kovacic wasn’t quite at his best, as he occasionally held on to the ball longer than he occasionally should have, but he was still decent. Apart from that, the Croatian international broke up several Southampton attacks with his excellent game-reading ability. A place for him against Real Madrid is definitely on the cards.
Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 8/10
Cesar Azpilicueta tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the match, so it was time for his Spanish compatriot to resume his role as left wingback. There was no other option with Ben Chilwell out for the rest of the season, but Marcos Alonso’s return left little to be desired. The Spaniard justified his start in the space of 10 minutes after being played through on goal by Mount. Alonso generally did not have much to do defensively, so he was a major threat going forward. He almost grabbed a second with a shot that went wide later on in the match. One would assume Alonso gets the starting nod at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Tuchel will have a few days to decide for sure.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 9/10
Sporting his new hairstyle, Mount made it a long afternoon for Southampton fans and players alike, as his performance was all the difference. Mount was simply brilliant against Saints. The versatile forward scored two goals and provided an assist in the match. The 23-year-old was constantly teeing up with Werner and he provided the assist for Alonso’s opening goal. Mount’s energy off the ball was unmatched, it was a defiant return to form for Chelsea’s No. 19.
Kai Havertz (Striker): 8/10
It was not surprising to see the German international in the starting XI following his goal against Real Madrid midweek that continued his scorching run of form. Kai Havertz was again handed the responsibility of leading the line after Romelu Lukaku reportedly missed out due to an Achilles injury. Per usual, he took up the responsibility brilliantly. Havertz got on the scoresheet once again and he was also impressive out of possession. The wunderkind was taken off after 45 minutes with the game against Real Madrid in mind.
Timo Werner (Left winger): 9/10
If only the Blues played Southampton every week. Werner would be the highest goal scorer in the Premier League if this were the case as he’s scored more goals against Saints than the entirety of the rest of the league during his Chelsea career. He struck the bar on three different occasions and a brilliant save from Forster denied him once again. Nevertheless, the struggling German still managed to grab two goals in the contest. He was turned on for this one as he seemingly found himself involved in every attacking sequence. It was surely a performance that Tuchel is going to have to think about as he looks for a way to climb back from a two-goal deficit in the UCL.
Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 7/10
Christian Pulisic was a given a whole 45 minutes to get his name on the scoresheet, but he didn’t really have much of an impact. The American was unlucky not to score on Chelsea’s final goal. Pulisic—like so many others in this match—was brilliantly denied by Forster.
Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): 5/10
Hakim Ziyech didn’t get much of the ball as Chelsea eased through the last 20 minutes without much attacking urgency. It was good to see him back on the pitch and fit though after rumors of a knock came out in the build-up to the weekend.
What rating would you give to each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!