Regular football has returned as the first lot of midweek Premier League fixtures started on Tuesday, and a shock result came along with it. After a hard-fought win against Leicester City at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea went on to face Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium. In the first half, the home side looked very open at the back and the visitors should have scored a couple of goals. If only players like Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz could finish their chances. Not long after, Sterling did give the Blues the lead in the 23′.
Unfortunately, it did not take long for the home side to equalize as Romeo Lavia shot home from just outside the box in the 28′. Following the equalizer, the visitors looked like the second-best team on the pitch. Just before the end of the first half, Adam Armstrong scored from close range to give Saints the lead thanks to some questionable defending from the away side.
In the second half, Chelsea came out guns blazing, but that meant at the back, the visitors were vulnerable. Southampton came close quite a few times and could have scored twice if it was not for Marc Cucurella and Thiago Silva’s goal line clearances early on. After an hour, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel changed the shape of the team and made multiple substitutions, but the lack of creativity in the midfield and absence of Reece James was more than evident as the game went on. The Blues could barely create any more chances and went on to lose the game.
Here’s how each Chelsea player fared in another disappointing outing in the Premier League:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 5/10
The Senegalese international had to comfortably collect the ball quite a lot of times, but for the first goal, seeing as Edouard Mendy did get a hand on Lavia’s effort, he should have done better. The fact of the matter is the Blues’ No. 1 should have stopped it. The performance level of Mendy seems to be dropping a lot in recent weeks.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right back): 6/10
After a fiery battle at Stamford Bridge against the Foxes, Cesar Azpilicueta was recalled to the starting line-up after an unexpected injury to Trevoh Chalobah and James falling sick. The Spaniard starting as a fullback and he was non-existent in the attacking play. Defensively, the club captain was solid, despite the team conceding two goals in the first half. The lack of pace did put the Spaniard in trouble in the the Blues’ aging back line.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8/10
Everyone thought that the veteran would be rested for this clash, but a minor injury to the likes of Chalobah and James’ illness resulted in Thiago Silva having to start the game. Just like always, the veteran was solid and he defended very well. Even though the team conceded two goals, if not for the Brazilian, Chelsea could have conceded one or two more in the match. In the second half, when the team started to push up the field, Silva even took it upon himself to carry the ball up the pitch on numerous occasions as the attackers struggled.
Kalidou Koulibaly (Centerback): 7/10
Kalidou Koulibaly was restored to the starting line-up after he served his one-match ban against Leicester City, sustained during the horrendous performance against Leeds United. Comparatively, the performance of the Senegalese international on Tuesday was better than his outing at Elland Road. He looked more secure and calm on the ball overall, and when one-on-one with Saints attackers, Koulibaly looked good too.
Marc Cucurella (Left back): 7.5/10
The Spaniard has looked solid since signing for the Blues, despite the team continuously putting on very disappointing performances. In the first half, Marc Cucurella was afforded a lot of space on the left flank and took full advantage of it while attacking. Throughout the game, the fullback was unafraid to run up and down the flank, and he never backed down during any physical battle with the Southampton front line. The whole game was summed up by the goal line clearance the Spaniard produced early in the second half to keep the score line at 2-1 to the home side.