Chelsea crashed to a 2-1 loss in the Premier League to Southampton, and the Blues will be disappointed with their mediocre start to the season.
Chelsea have managed to pick up just three wins from five Premier League games so far, and Thomas Tuchel will demand a massive improvement from his players going forward.
Summer signing Raheem Sterling handed the Blues the lead in the 23rd minute, but Southampton managed to get back into the game thanks to a fierce strike from the edge of the box from Romeo Lavia, who capitalised on a poor clearance from Cesar Azpilicueta and smashed the ball home in the 28th minute.
Meanwhile, Stuart Armstrong gave Southampton the lead in the 46th minute and the home side managed to defend their slender advantage until the very end. The narrow win over Chelsea will come as a major confidence boost for the Saints, and Ralph Hasenhuttl will hope that his side can build on this and put together a positive run now.
Meanwhile, Chelsea cannot afford more slip-ups like this if they want to challenge the likes of Manchester City for the Premier League title this season. The Blues have been quite disappointing by their standards, and it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly. Here at The Hard Tackle, we look at the Chelsea player ratings against Southampton.
Edouard Mendy: 6/10
The Senegalese international was kept busy by Southampton throughout the game, and he will be disappointed to have conceded the equaliser. Mendy managed to get a hand on the fierce strike from Romeo Lavia but he failed to keep the ball out of the net.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 4/10
The Chelsea captain had a nightmare against Southampton. His poor clearance led to the opening goal for the home side, and he struggled with his defending throughout the game.
Thiago Silva: 7/10
The Brazilian was probably the pick of the defenders for Chelsea on the night, and he tried to keep things neat and tidy at the back and drove his team forward with his accurate passing.
Kalidou Koulibaly: 6.5/10
The experienced centre-back returned to the Chelsea lineup having served his suspension against Leicester City, and he will be disappointed to have ended up on the losing side against Southampton. The 31-year-old put on a decent performance for his side and dealt with the Southampton attackers well. He managed to win his duels and came up on top in the 1v1 situations.
Marc Cucurella: 6/10
The left-back produced a reliable defensive performance against Southampton, and he tried to create chances for his teammates going forward. Overall, the former Brighton player can be satisfied with his outing.
Jorginho: 5/10
The Italian international struggled to cope with the pace and intensity from Southampton, and he could do nothing to prevent the Chelsea midfield from being overrun.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 5/10
Loftus-Cheek struggled just as much as his midfield partner Jorginho, and he had to be substituted midway through the game. He was expected to help control the proceedings in the middle, but the midfielder barely had any impact for Chelsea.
Hakim Ziyech: 5.5/10
The Moroccan playmaker tried his best to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates with his impressive long-range passing. However, Ziyech failed to build sustained pressure on the opposition in the final third and did not influence the game as much as he would have liked.
Mason Mount: 6/10
The Chelsea attacking midfielder started the game well and helped create the opening goal for Raheem Sterling. However, he struggled as the game went on and will be disappointed with his performance on the whole.
Raheem Sterling: 7.5/10
The former Manchester City attacker has done well since joining Chelsea, and he followed up his brace against Leicester City with the opening goal against Southampton. Sterling worked hard throughout the night, and he will feel that could have scored more goals.
Raheem Sterling’s Premier League record against Southampton:
? Apps: 19
⚽️ Goals: 8
?️ Assists: 4New team, same Razza. pic.twitter.com/fPGGA0bCQR
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) August 30, 2022
Kai Havertz: 5/10
The German international led the line for Chelsea against Southampton and he had a disappointing outing. Despite his impressive link-up play from time to time, he failed to provide Chelsea with a clinical edge upfront. Thomas Tuchel really needs to consider bringing in a natural goalscorer before the transfer window closes.
Substitutes
Mateo Kovacic: 7/10
The Croat could not start the game having recovered from his injury only recently, but he did influence the game after coming on. Chelsea had more control of the game after he came on and Thomas Tuchel will feel that the Blues would have had a greater chance of winning the game with him on the pitch from the start.
Ben Chilwell: 5.5/10
Chilwell operated as a left-sided winger when he came on but barely had an impact going forward.
Christian Pulisic: 5/10
The American international was brought on to change the game in Chelsea’s favour, but he was ineffective in the final third and the Southampton defenders dealt with him with ease.
Armando Broja: 6/10
The young Chelsea striker made a lively start after coming on as a substitute but his teammates could not create any clear-cut chances for him to thrive on.
