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After the two consecutive frustrating draws against west ham united and Liverpool, Chelsea finally got a victory in the premier league. The blues visited st.mary’s stadium to play Southampton and got the well-deserved victory. Goals from Eden Hazard, Ross Barkley, and Alvaro Morata helped Chelsea in outclassing Southampton. This is Chelsea's 9th win in 12 matches at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Through the game Chelsea dominated the game, however, on many occasions, Southampton was dangerous on counters but couldn’t find the net. Southampton’s striker Danny Ings and captain Ryan Bertrand missed chances which could have given Southampton the lead over Chelsea. On the other hand, Ross Barkley scored his first goal for Chelsea and also it was Morata's second goal in four days.
However, five Chelsea players stood out in the match:
#1 Eden Hazard
If there is anyone who cannot stop scoring right now then that man is none other than Eden Hazard. The Belgium captain continued his fine form and scored his 8th goal of the season and 7th of the premier league. On the half-hour mark, Ross Barkley beautifully placed the ball for Hazard who without any difficulty deceived the keeper and placed it at the bottom right corner.
Throughout the game, he created numerous chances for Chelsea and his hard work finally paid when he sets up Morata during the dying minutes of the game. Hazard sent a lovely through ball to Morata who calmly chipped it over the keeper into the net. Once again he has proved why he is compared with Ronaldo and Messi. With this form, 40 goals in the season would be like a walk in the park for the mercurial winger.
#2 Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley finally opened his account for Chelsea. After 8 games without a goal, Barkley finally got the much-awaited goal against Southampton. Chelsea got the freekick in the 57th minute and Willian directed it towards Olivier Giroud who acrobatically sends it towards Barkley who made no mistake and finished the brilliant set-piece move.
However, it took time for Barkley to settle in the match, for the first 15-20 minutes he lost possession at many occasions but after that, he not only played ball to the front line but also intercepted the ball at numbers of occasions. He played important role in the hazard opener, after winning the ball he beautifully finds Hazard who made no mistake and scored. With performances like this, Barkley has a chance to become a regular starter for Chelsea replacing Mateo Kovacic.
#3 Antonio Rudiger
The German international was as usual solid at the back. His partnership with David Luiz is going well. Rudiger won headers and made some important challenges and blocks. Right now if there is any defender who is trustworthy at Chelsea then that is Rudiger.
With his performance against Southampton, he proved why he is better than others and should be chosen above Gary Cahill and Andreas Christensen. Also, he came close to scoring a goal but couldn’t find the required touch. In total, if Chelsea wants to win the premier league then Rudiger needs to give performances like this in the future also.
4. Olivier Giroud
The Chelsea striker couldn’t find the net but played a crucial in Chelsea's victory over Southampton. The Frenchman created the second goal for Chelsea. He acrobatically sends the ball into the box which was finished by Barkley. His link-up play with hazard and Willian helped Chelsea in dominating the match and created space for the two wingers. However, if Giroud wants to safeguard his place in the starting eleven then he needs to add more to his game and score goals.
5. Kepa Arrizabalaga
For the first time in the season, Chelsea new keeper Arrizabalaga was tested. And he showed us why he is the most expensive keeper in the world. He made two nail-biting saves for Chelsea. During the 79th minute, Redmond smashed a dipping shot towards Kepa who sent it over the bar with his fingertip.
The 24 years old made another brilliant save in the 82nd minute when the shot from Dany Ings was going in and Kepa dived to his left and saved it. Thus, it is not an understatement to say that Kepa can become the upgraded version of Courtois, however, the discussion will continue as the season goes on.
