Chelsea hosted Southampton at Stamford Bridge, and the away side came out with a point as they held the Pensioners to a 0-0 draw.
The Blues enjoyed plenty of possession in the first half, but a very well organised Southampton side thwarted them. There weren’t many clear-cut opportunities apart from the one where Eden Hazard drew a good save out of Angus Gunn. The Saints would have been glad that they went in at halftime at 0-0.
The same pattern of play followed in the second half and even though Chelsea had the bulk of the possession, they never really managed to carve open the Saints defence. There was a late penalty call for the referee to make in the end as Marcos Alonso was brought down, but the referee deemed that challenge to be fair.
Here is how the Blues fared in the night.
Kepa Arrizabalaga 6
Made some regulation saves and wasn’t tested much in goal. Was decent with his distribution.
Antonio Rudiger 7
Played some excellent long balls from the back. Did his defensive duties well and was strong and decisive in his challenges.
David Luiz 7.5
Tried to open up the Saints defence with some long diagonal balls but it wasn’t Chelsea’s day. Sailed through his defensive duties as Southampton didn’t offer much while going forward.
Marcos Alonso 5
Moved up the pitch on various occasions but wasn’t effective. Wasn’t tested much on the defensive front.
Cesar Azpilicueta 6
Lacked the cutting edge while delivering crosses from the right. Cedric tested him on the defensive front, but the Spaniard had a comfortable game more or less.
Jorginho 5
Guilty of playing too many safe passes. Sarri would expect much more quality from him when he saw the ball so much in midfield.
Ngolo Kante 7
Continued playing high up the pitch and was industrious as usual. Did a decent job while linking up play but didn’t have enough in his locker to open up a stubborn defence.
Ross Barkley 6
Looked bright in first half as he played some good forward passes but again, like most of his other team-mates, was unable to find a killer pass in the end and lost steam as the game went on.
Willian 5.5
Had to come off early with an injury. Looked energetic while he was on the pitch.
Eden Hazard 6.5
Like always, looked the most threatening player in the attacking third and came close to scoring in the first half. Tested the goalkeeper even in the second half but never really got a clear-cut opportunity in the last quarter of the game.
Alvaro Morata 5.5
Looked better today than his other lacklustre performances, especially in the first half as his movement was sharp. Got some goalmouth action but never really had a clear-cut chance to score the goal. Put the ball in the net but was rightfully judged offside.
Substitutes
Ruben Loftus Cheek 6
Can just repeat the thing about not producing enough quality in the final third like his other team-mates. Worked hard when he came on for Willian.
Cesc Fabregas 6.5
Did instil a quick movement of the ball when he came on the pitch. But never really got a chance to make a huge difference.
