Chelsea 1-0 Southampton: Player Ratings

Chelsea bounced back from their set-back against West Ham with successive wins
Chelsea bounced back from their setback against West Ham with successive wins

Chelsea backed up their convincing win over Huddersfield Town in midweek with yet another successful outing in the league after beating Mauricio Pellegrino's struggling Southampton by a 1-0 margin.

Despite creating the majority of the chances, Antonio Conte's men had little to show for it at the end of the game mainly due to the heroics at the back for Southampton led by Fraser Forster in goal along with the other defenders. The match turned in favour of the hosts when Marcos Alonso found the back of the net from a free-kick awarded to Chelsea right at the verge of half-time.

The result meant that Chelsea have now won 7 out of their last 9 league games and took their overall points tally to 38, level with Manchester United who have played a game less. Here we take a look at how the players from both sides fared during the match:


Chelsea FC

Chelsea players celebrating the only goal of the game
Chelsea players celebrating the only goal of the game

Thibaut Courtois - 7/10

The Belgian bailed Chelsea out on a few instances in the game and showed good command over his penalty area throughout the game. Courtois did well in the second-half to see out the game and come out with a clean sheet.

Andreas Christensen - 7/10

Deployed at the centre of Chelsea's back three on the night, Christensen was his usual self of resolute defending, accurate positioning and showed real composure on the ball throughout the game.

Cesar Azpilicueta - 7/10

Azpilicueta continues to play week in and week out without showing any signs of fatigue. The Spaniard was exceptional at reading the game and kept his discipline even under pressure, hardly putting a foot wrong in the game.

Gary Cahill - 6/10

Despite playing the full game, Cahill could not exert his command on it and looked nervy on a few occasions. The England international was helped out by an element of luck that prevented things from going bad to worse.

Victor Moses - 7/10

The Nigerian's workrate on the night was unmatched and he relentlessly worked his socks off down the right flank for Chelsea. Moses got forward whenever he smelled an opportunity and provided his teammates with options in the final third.

N'Golo Kante - 7/10

Kante was quick to close down his opponents and acted as a perfect shield to Chelsea's back three like he usually does. The Frenchman covered a lot of ground and worked tirelessly in the middle of the park.

Tiemoue Bakayoko - 6/10

Not the best or worst game for Bakayoko in a Chelsea shirt tonight. The midfielder made a few interceptions and skipped forward whenever he was provided with the opportunity but he could not come up with anything noteworthy.

Marcos Alonso - 8/10

Alonso reaffirmed his status as the best set-piece taker at the club
Alonso reaffirmed his status as the best set-piece taker at the club

Alonso was constantly on the front foot in the first half and established himself as a threat while going forward. The full-back's impressive technique from set-pieces was rewarded yet again today when he scored the only goal of the game.

Willian - 7/10

The Brazilian kept the Southampton defenders on their toes with his quick feet and clever movement. However, the end product was certainly lacking and he would want to add to that part of his game.

Pedro - 6/10

Not the best of days in front of goal for Pedro who failed to repeat his impressive performance in midweek against Huddersfield. The winger could not operate effectively for the Blues in key areas of the pitch.

Eden Hazard - 8/10

Hazard forced Forster into making a couple of good saves in the first half and was one of Chelsea's best bets while going forward. Even though he didn't get on the scoresheet, Hazard showed a keen eye for a pass and found his teammates at will on numerous occasions.


Substitutes

Cesc Fabregas - 7/10

Fabregas did really well after replacing Pedro in the second half and contributed massively to Chelsea's swift movement inside the opposition's half. The Spaniard makes a drastic difference to the side and it seems like Chelsea lack a bit of innovation without him.

Alvaro Morata - 6/10

Morata seems to have put the back problem behind him and managed to stretch the Southampton defenders a few times after coming on. The striker made some crucial runs and combined well with Fabregas to pose a threat to Forster in goal.

Davide Zappacosta - N/A

Came on in the 82nd minute for Victor Moses.

Southampton

Southampton's poor run of form continues
Southampton's poor run of form continues

Fraser Forster - 5/10

Despite making a few good saves in the first half to keep out Chelsea, Forster's poor positioning and lack of urgency to get down cost them the goal and possibly three points on the night.

Maya Yoshida - 5/10

The Japanese international was robust in the challenge and made a few crucial blocks to prevent Chelsea from grabbing a few more goals. However, Yoshida was at fault for giving away the successfully converted free-kick when he fouled Eden Hazard at the edge of the area and picked up a booking in the process.

Jack Stephens - 5/10

Stephens was constantly troubled by Chelsea's pace and was almost exploited towards the end when Morata and Fabregas proved to be a handful for the defender who picked up a booking for venting out his frustration at the referee.

Wesley Hoedt - 5/10

The Dutchman also did not enjoy a lot of his involvement during the game and had no answer to Chelsea's slick and smooth movement inside the final third.

Ryan Bertrand - 7/10

Bertrand impressed on his return to Stamford Bridge
Bertrand impressed on his return to Stamford Bridge

The former Chelsea left-back continued his consistent run of form with a commanding performance. Bertrand was one of the very few bright aspects of Southampton's performance and the Saints will be hoping that the hamstring problem he picked up towards the end isn't as serious as it looks.

Oriol Romeu - 6/10

Romeu was neat and tidy in possession for Southampton in the first half but eventually faded off when Chelsea started keeping the ball better, forcing the Spaniard to haplessly cover a lot of ground.

Pierre-Emile Hojberg - 5/10

The Dane could not stamp his authority on the game despite the promising start and was steam-rolled by the efforts of Kante and Bakayoko in the middle of the park.

Cedric Soares - N/A

The full-back picked up an injury in the 17th minute and was replaced by Mario Lemina

James Ward-Prowse - 5/10

Ward-Prowse got himself into a few key positions inside Chelsea's final third in the first half but nothing crucial came out of his best efforts to try and swing the momentum in his team's favour.

Manolo Gabbiadini - 4/10

The Italian was left out on his own for the majority of the game and enjoyed no involvement whatsoever throughout the game. It seemed as if he was not on the same wavelength as his teammates after nobody managed to detect a few runs made by him on the night.

Nathan Redmond - 5/10

The winger also failed to give the Chelsea defenders a real run for their money and was not his usual self, who thrives in stretching his counterparts to the limits, and was restricted his own half on a few instances.


Substitutes

Mario Lemina - 5/10

Lemina came on to replace Cedric in the first half and suffered the same fate as the teammates around him when he helplessly watched Chelsea slowly take control and scrape out a win.

Charlie Austin - 6/10

The striker came on and quickly made an impact when he forced Courtois to make his first proper save of the game. Austin made a few problems for Chelsea and should have started the game ahead of Gabbiadini.

Sofiane Boufal - 5/10

Boufal came on with time running out on the clock and enjoyed very little involvement to create any impact whatsoever for his side.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith