Southampton Player Ratings: Chelsea (H)
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Southampton blew a two-goal lead against Chelsea at St Mary’s Stadium this afternoon as the visitors came away with a 3-2 win.
The Saints headed into the match knowing that they could not afford to succumb to yet another defeat. However, despite a perfect start, they were unable to avoid Chelsea’s quality shining through.
Dusan Tadic handed Saints a well-deserved lead in the first half after some good work down the left from Ryan Bertrand. The advantage was extended to two after the interval, also, as Jan Bednarek fired home from close range on his Premier League debut.
Saints were the better team until the 70th minute, as Olivier Giroud converted a header beyond Alex McCarthy. Chelsea were soon back on level terms, as Eden Hazard found space in the box and fired home in front of the travelling faithful.
The Blues completed an impressive comeback just moments later, too, with Giroud once again firing home from close range to secure all three points from Antonio Conte’s side.
It was a valiant display from Mark Hughes’ men but ultimately, lapses in concentration and inability to see games out have cost them.
Here are our Southampton player ratings.
Alex McCarthy - 7
McCarthy made some good stops low down to his left post in the second half and was pretty helpless to prevent the goals. He was confident when claiming crosses, but his kicking wasn’t impressive.
Cedric Soares - 6
Worked harder this week and provided a good attacking outlet but always looked shaky defensively, struggling to cope with Chelsea’s wide attackers.
Jan Bednarek - 7
Bednarek had a largely positive Premier League debut. He was generally solid at the back but did have a few hairy moments, perhaps down to nerves. He took his goal very well.
Maya Yoshida - 5
Yoshida worked hard as usual but couldn’t contain Olivier Giroud when he came on. He never really looked comfortable.
Wesley Hoedt - 5
After a strong start, Hoedt struggled to cope with the intensity of Chelsea’s attack and lost his focus in a vital period of the match.
Ryan Bertrand - 6
Bertrand burst down the left well to create Tadic’s goal in the first-half but contributed little else. He was lackadaisical defensively.
James Ward-Prowse - 6
Worked relentlessly hard and delivered some good set-pieces but didn’t quite stamp his authority on the game.
Oriol Romeu - 7
Romeu broke up play well in the middle and turned in a good display in midfield. He aimed to pick the ball up and move play forward when he had the chance and also played with the necessary aggression.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 8
Hojbjerg was arguably Saints’ best player. He drove the team forward and always searched for Shane Long’s runs in behind. He contributed at both ends of the pitch and again stood out for Saints.
Dusan Tadic - 7
Tadic combined with Bertrand in the first-half and took his goal well after finding space. He aimed to create when he could but was considerably quiet in the second-half.
Shane Long - 7
Long had a good game up front. He was targeted by Chelsea and a number of fouls went unpunished. He made several runs in behind and gave Saints an outlet.
Substitutes
Charlie Austin – 5: Wasn’t on for long enough to really make an impact, with Chelsea shutting up shop after netting the winner.
Josh Sims – 6: Came on and had a good effort saved but also didn’t really have enough time to impact the game.
Manolo Gabbiadini – N/A: Was rather pointlessly introduced in the 92nd minute.
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