Chelsea lost 2-1 to Southampton in the midweek Premier League clash as form begins to be a cause for concern despite the lavish spending.
Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong’s goals were enough for the Saints to beat the Blues at St Mary’s Stadium.
Thomas Tuchel cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines as his side only had a good Raheem Sterling goal to show for their early dominance.
However, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were good value for the win and controlled much of the second half, despite Chelsea needing to chase the game.
Edouard Mendy - 6
Mendy was unusually busy at St Mary’s Stadium making an early save from Mohamed Elyounoussi.
He made several further saves and claimed a host of good James Ward-Prowse set pieces. Lavia’s long range strike beat him at the near post but he was unsighted by two of his team’s own players. There was little he could do with the second as Armstrong picked his spot and struck it firmly into the top corner.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 5
Azpilicueta was caught out by a long ball in the 33rd minute and he was one of the three defenders at fault for not picking up Armstrong, as they all were drawn towards Che Adams’s near post run.
Thiago Silva - 6
Good defensive clearance from early Ward Prowse corner, but he was one of the players who failed to pick up Armstrong. His brilliant goal line clearance Stopped Mohammed Salisu from scoring in the 74th minute.
Kalidou Koulibaly - 5
Involved in a lot of frantic defending to cut out counterattacks, but he was partly at fault for the second goal. He was beaten at some of his duels at corners.
Marc Cucurella - 6
Elyounoussi’s diving header in the 52nd minute was incredibly blocked by Cucurella to stop the Saints from getting a third.
Jorginho - 4
Gave away a cheap corner for the first Southampton goal and his press was easily beaten in midfield when Lavia was involved in the build up to the second.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 5
Helped set up one of Sterling’s big chances with a through ball midway through the first half. However, generally with the ball, he wasn’t playing to the usual standard expected of a Chelsea midfielder. He had an ice pack on his knee while he watched the second half.
Mason Mount - 6
Perhaps fuelled by his Portsmouth upbringing, Mount put in his brightest performance of the season so far, linking up brilliantly with both his colleagues and becoming a goal threat against Southampton.
Had a shot blocked from five yards, got the assist for Sterling’s goal and could have had more assists had the finishing been better.
Like his teammates, he began to fade as the match went on.
Hakim Ziyech - 5
Produced an excellent crossfield ball to Havertz in the 26th minute. Yet, in his first start of the season, the want away forward was a shadow of his former self and took a heavy knock from an Armstrong sliding tackle.
Kai Havertz - 5
Havertz produced an excellent one-two with Sterling to create Mount’s early first half chance. He then beat Diallo for a shot in the 25th minute. He had a poor headed effort in the 65th minute with his last touch before being substituted for Armando Broja.
Despite being Chelsea’s main striker for their first five matches, he has yet to score a goal.
Raheem Sterling - 7
Once again on the scoresheet, producing a good touch, turn and finish to make it three goals in his first five Chelsea matches.
He was dangerous all match with his movement and interplay with his colleagues. If anyone was going to haul Chelsea back into the game it would be the England international, but too heavy of a burden for the second match running.
Substitutes
Mateo Kovacic - 7
He improved Chelsea’s ability to retain the ball against Southampton’s press and showed his seniority. In a deep midfield role, he couldn’t influence the attacking play to a huge degree as Chelsea chased their deficit.
Ben Chilwell - 6
Came on in a glut of substitutes in the 66th minute. He had minimal chances to show why he should be in the team but didn’t do much wrong either.
Christian Pulisic - 5
The US men’s national captain got a 24-minute run out on the South coast but had to play out of position at right wing back. Booked for a professional foul in the 80th minute and looked generally frustrated.
Armando Broja - 6
Lifted the crowd as soon as he came on with a trademark direct run at a defender, producing a low cross and winning a corner.
Unused subs: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Ethan Ampadu, Billy Gilmour; Harvey Vale.
