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Chelsea welcomed Southampton to Stamford Bridge on Thursday sitting in 4th place on the table. Frank Lampard’s men were near perfect at the weekend, as they comfortably overcame Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur. For the Blues, the game against the Saints was an opportunity to assert their dominance on the 4th place in the Premier League.
Their opponents were on a nifty run themselves, winning 3 of their last 5 games and were 3 points above the relegation zone. Back to back defeats against Newcastle United and West Ham United put the Saints under tremendous pressure, but they had redeemed themselves with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa last weekend. However, Ralph Hasenhuttl knew that he needed to continue this form if his team were to stay safe from the drop zone.
Lampard, on the other hand, would've been hoping that his team could be a little more clinical in the final third. The Englishman was well aware that one loss could put his team back under undue pressure and he named his team accordingly.
Chelsea Starting XI: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, Emerson; N’Golo Kante, Jorginho; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham, Willian
The home team were shocked when the Saints went ahead through Michael Obafemi in the 31st minute. Southampton took a 1-0 lead into the half time as Chelsea were left with a lot to do after the break. The home side rallied for an equalizer in the second half, however, Southampton increased their lead in the 73rd minute through Nathan Redmond. Despite a late onslaught, the Blues failed to score and succumbed to a 2-0 defeat. Here are the hits and flops from the game.
Flop: Tammy Abraham
The Englishman flourished under the guidance of Lampard at Chelsea this season. Abraham had been consistently good for the Blues this term and was impressive against Tottenham last weekend too. He has already scored 11 goals in the Premier League ahead of the game and was expected to be a handful for the Saints defence. Unfortunately, the Englishman failed to live up to the expectations.
Abraham could not register any shots on target in the game; his only attempt was off the mark. He had 49 touches on the ball and registered 26 passes with 62% accuracy. Unfortunately, he missed Chelsea’s biggest chance of the game, an opportunity that should have been bread and butter for a player of his calibre.
Hit: Michael Obafemi
The Ireland International had a rare start for the Saints as Hasenhutti decided to put Danny Ings on the bench. Obafemi started the game as a part of a two-man strike force that threatened to break away on the counter. His speed and tenacity caused Chelsea quite a few issues and he found a lot of joy in the gap between Emerson and Tomori. Obafemi’s direct approach and his driving run from the right side also put a lot of pressure on the Chelsea midfield, who had to stay alert to track his movements.
The 19-year-old justified his selection in the first half itself. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg put him free through the right with acres of space ahead of him to run into. Obafemi easily went past Tomori and shifted to his left side. He ran away from Zouma and unleashed a perfect finish into the top left corner. It was a goal that put the away side on the front foot and helped them gain control of the game.
Flop: Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi had raised expectations this season and got another chance to impress against the Saints. Lampard elected to go with the Englishman, as Mason Mount started from the bench. Hudson-Odoi made only his 3rd start on the day but was an isolated figure on the pitch. There were the occasional displays of skills and tricks, but he failed to have the desired effect in the final third.
The Englishman started the game well and sent in a few good deliveries in the early stages. Tomori had a free header from one such cross, but could only hit straight at the Saints' keeper. As the game wore on, Hudson-Odoi gradually drifted away and even appeared to pick up an injury at the end of the first half. He recovered and then had a glorious chance to score the equalizer early in the second half after he was teed up by Willian. Unfortunately, the Englishman’s shot was off target. He was ultimately replaced by Christian Pulisic in the 67th minute.
Hit: Nathan Redmond
Nathan Redmond has been an omnipresent figure in the Saints team this season and has started all games in the Premier League barring two, which he missed due to injury. The Englishman started the game against Chelsea aware that he had to keep a close watch on Azpilicueta, who threatened to run beyond him every time Chelsea hit on the break. However, Redmond stayed composed and ensured that the Chelsea skipper had little contribution in the attacking third.
The Englishman did not just spend his time backtracking, he made good use of the spaces behind Azpilicueta and caused Rudiger quite a few problems. Early in the second half, Redmond created a good chance for his team after skipping past the German defender easily. He then forced Kepa into a save midway through the second half, but would not be denied in the 73rd minute.
The Englishman finished an impressive team move, clipping the ball over the onrushing Kepa and giving his team breathing space with a 2-0 lead.
#Flop: Willian
Last weekend, Willian tore Tottenham apart, scoring 2 goals and delivering a Man of the Match performance against his former manager. The Brazilian was expected to bring the experience in a Chelsea attack that contained two very young players. Everyone expected Willian to take charge of the game, but the Brazilian was a shadow of himself against the Saints.
The 31-year-old had 74 touches on the ball, but could not have the impact that was needed in the final third. Willian registered 49 passes with an 80% success rate and did record 2 key passes. He attempted 6 dribbles with 50% success rate. However, he failed to register a single shot in the entire game, a stark contrast from his antics from the weekend.
The Brazilian was one of the poorest players on the pitch and failed to inspire his team on a day when they needed him the most. Lampard realized that Willian was having a hard day on the pitch and ultimately replaced him with Pedro in the 84th minute.
