Southampton travelled to London to take on the current Premier League champions Chelsea at the back of a humiliating defeat at home to Leicester City in midweek. The Saints needed to respond strongly at Stamford Bridge with their manager, Mauricio Pellegrino opting for a 3-4-2-1 formation. The visitors began the game well denying Chelsea an opener in the first quarter of the game.
However, just before the stroke of half-time, they conceded a cheap freekick outside the box. Chelsea’ Marcos Alonso stepped up to curl in a wonderful left-footed shot that caught their keeper, Fraser Forster off guard. They tried to come back in the second half but in vain, as substitute Charlie Austin was denied by the Blues keeper Thibaut Courtois twice when he was through on goal. The defeat sees them slip to 12th place in the Premier League table.
Let’s shed some light on how each Southampton player fared on the night.
GK: Fraser Forster – 7/10
The goalkeeper had a rollercoaster of a game for the Saints in goal. He made some brilliant saves to deny the Chelsea players but his only mistake of being caught out of position cost his team a point on the day.
CB: Jack Stephens – 6/10
The defender put in a solid performance as a centre-back and was unlucky to concede from the freekick.
CB: Maya Yoshida – 7/10
The Japanese was brilliant for the Saints and defended valiantly throughout the game.
CB: Wesley Hoedt – 6/10
Another centre-back who put in a strong performance in the backline but was a victim of a goal from a set-piece.
RM: Cedric Soares – 5/10
He suffered an injury and got substituted early on.
CM: Oriol Romeu – 6/10
The former Chelsea midfielder put in a mixed performance at the centre of the park. He defended well at times but also guilty of giving away the ball cheaply.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6/10
He had a good game for the Saints in the midfield and looked busy chasing down the Chelsea attackers.
LM: Ryan Bertrand – 7/10
One of the better players on the pitch for the Saints. The English full-back has been consistent recently and put in another strong performance in the left flank.
CAM: James Ward-Prowse – 6/10
The 23-year-old huffed and puffed but failed to get anything meaningful going on the attacking end of the pitch.
CAM: Nathan Redmond – 5/10
The winger had a game to forget and could not create enough chances for the Saints.
ST: Manolo Gabbiadini – 5/10
The striker failed to hold on to the ball in the final third and often lost possession. He was deservingly subbed in the second half.
Substitutes:
RM: Mario Lemina – 5/10
He looked bright at times but couldn’t do enough to keep the likes of Willian and Eden Hazard quiet.
CM: Sofiane Boufal – 6/10
The midfielder made an impact when he came on and tried to make some clever runs into the Chelsea box.
ST: Charlie Austin – 6/10
The striker came on and looked a goal-threat. He had two great chances to score but his goal-bound shots were parried away by the Chelsea keeper.
