EPL 2017/18: Southampton 2-3 Chelsea: Player Ratings

Goal Scorers: Tadic (21'), Bednarek (60'), Giroud (70', 78'), Hazard (75')

It looked like any other game for Chelsea, as Conte stuck to his famous 3-4-3 system at the back. And it clearly wasn't working, again, no surprises there.

Southampton, a team fighting to stay alive in the Premier League, drew the 1st blood as Tadic scored early on and then, Bednarek scored his 1st league goal to double the lead.

It looked as if the Blues would lose this game, but Conte then sent out Giroud as soon as the home side scored the 2nd goal, which was very interesting because Conte doesn't make any changes until the 80' usually.

Well, it looks like he finally understood that was not working. Only if he understood this a bit earlier, things could have been different for his side.

Chelsea then came back from behind and scored thrice in 9 minutes to take the lead. Here are the player ratings from the game.

Southampton

Alex McCarthy

Alex couldn't be blamed for the 3 goals he conceded. His players were caught sleeping as Chelsea were on the attack and the visitors made the best of this.

Cédric Soares - 7/10

After a horrible game last week, Soares was back to his best this week. Soares was full of energy and on a mission to prove himself once again.

Jan Bednarek - 6/10

Despite getting his 1st goal in his debut, Bednarek couldn't inspire his team to go all the way. He would have hoped for the outcome to be in his favour. But nonetheless, he looked strong in his first game.

Wesley Hoedt - 6/10

Another debutant this afternoon, Hoedt's ball found Højbjerg which eventually put Saints ahead in the 21st minute. Hoedt showed character and determination on the field and has potential to replace Van Dijk.

Maya Yoshida - 6/10

Yoshida got the better of Morata for most parts of the game today. He was brilliant and tracked Morata, so as to not allow the attacker any space whatsoever.

Ryan Bertrand - 7/10

The former Chelsea player once again had a great game against his former club. Bertrand set up the first goal for Tadic with a wonderful pass and was also impressive throughout the game.

Oriol Romeu - 6.5/10

Another former Chelsea player who had a good game this afternoon. Romeu was impressive in the first half but went missing after the break.

James Ward-Prowse - 7/10

Ward-Prowse also had a good game despite the result. He found Tadic with a long ball, who then raced away for the goal only to be denied by Courtois. Had that goal gone in, things would have been very different.

Dusan Tadić - 7/10

Tadic did well to open the scoring for his side, giving an early lead. He was impressive and full of energy in the game.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg - 8/10

The midfielder had a great game in the middle of the park at St Mary's today. His ball found Bertrand, who then set up Shane Long for a wonderful finish.

Shane Long - 7/10

Long was involved in most parts of the game this afternoon. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet but, did get involved in the 2 goals his side scored indirectly.

Substitutes:

Charlie Austin - 5/10

Coming on with just a little over 10 minutes remaining, Austin couldn't really get going.

Joshua Sims - N/A

With 7 minutes remaining, Sims came to see out the game.

Manolo Gabbiadini - N/A

He came on during stoppage time.

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois - 7/10

The Belgian was called upon for action a few times and made crucial saves to deny the home side a chance to salvage anything for the game.

Cesar Azpilicueta - 5/10

An off day for the Spanish international today. He lacked the pace and, the home team used it to their advantage and made most of their attacks on that side. It resulted in Bertrand setting up Tadic for the 1st goal.

Andreas Christensen - 6/10

Coming back after a short break, Christensen looked lively and charged up, more so in the 2nd half. He did well to catch up Long in the break and was energetic.

Garry Cahill - 5/10

The Chelsea captain was at fault for the 2nd goal scored by the home team. He also struggled with pace and failed to keep up with Shane Long during the game.

Davide Zappacosta - 4/10

Not the best afternoon for the Italian. He failed to provide much support to Azpilicueta and also didn't make an impact while on the pitch.

N'Golo Kante - 6/10

Kante once again did his best while on the pitch. He tried to win back balls and stop the threat coming from the home side, succeeding at times. Overall, a busy afternoon.

Cesc Fabregas - 5/10

With each game passing by, Fabregas doesn't seem to look like his old version. His passing could have been better today and could also improve on keeping the ball.

Marcos Alonso - 6/10

Alonso would consider himself very lucky to escape without getting a red card for a nasty challenge on Long. His cross set up Giroud who opened Chelsea's account.

Willian - 7/10

Probably, Chelsea's most threating player, but was let down by his teammates for most parts of the game. He was always a threat while going down on the flank and then set up Hazard to equalize.

Alvaro Morata - 4/10

Morata would want this season to end right now so that he can start afresh. He was barely in the game and wasted good balls.

Eden Hazard - 6/10

The Belgian was quite for most parts of the game, although he did test the keeper once in a while. He took his chance perfectly and equalised and was also involved in Giroud's 2nd goal.

Substitutes:

Victor Moses - N/A

With less than 5 minutes to go, Moses didn't make any impact.

Pedro - 5/10

Coming on after an hours' mark, Pedro had a relatively quiet game.

Oliver Giroud - 9/10

Conte couldn't have asked for anything more from his subs than this. Coming on with 2 goals down, Giroud turned the game upside down. Got the 1st goal out of nowhere, which lead the side to believe that they can still win the game. He then scored the winner in the 78th minute.