Chelsea 1-0 Southampton: Player Ratings
Chelsea backed up their convincing win over Huddersfield Town in midweek with yet another successful outing in the league after beating Mauricio Pellegrino's struggling Southampton by a 1-0 margin.
Despite creating the majority of the chances, Antonio Conte's men had little to show for it at the end of the game mainly due to the heroics at the back for Southampton led by Fraser Forster in goal along with the other defenders. The match turned in favour of the hosts when Marcos Alonso found the back of the net from a free-kick awarded to Chelsea right at the verge of half-time.
The result meant that Chelsea have now won 7 out of their last 9 league games and took their overall points tally to 38, level with Manchester United who have played a game less. Here we take a look at how the players from both sides fared during the match:
Chelsea FC
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
The Belgian bailed Chelsea out on a few instances in the game and showed good command over his penalty area throughout the game. Courtois did well in the second-half to see out the game and come out with a clean sheet.
Andreas Christensen - 7/10
Deployed at the centre of Chelsea's back three on the night, Christensen was his usual self of resolute defending, accurate positioning and showed real composure on the ball throughout the game.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 7/10
Azpilicueta continues to play week in and week out without showing any signs of fatigue. The Spaniard was exceptional at reading the game and kept his discipline even under pressure, hardly putting a foot wrong in the game.
Gary Cahill - 6/10
Despite playing the full game, Cahill could not exert his command on it and looked nervy on a few occasions. The England international was helped out by an element of luck that prevented things from going bad to worse.
Victor Moses - 7/10
The Nigerian's workrate on the night was unmatched and he relentlessly worked his socks off down the right flank for Chelsea. Moses got forward whenever he smelled an opportunity and provided his teammates with options in the final third.
N'Golo Kante - 7/10
Kante was quick to close down his opponents and acted as a perfect shield to Chelsea's back three like he usually does. The Frenchman covered a lot of ground and worked tirelessly in the middle of the park.
Tiemoue Bakayoko - 6/10
Not the best or worst game for Bakayoko in a Chelsea shirt tonight. The midfielder made a few interceptions and skipped forward whenever he was provided with the opportunity but he could not come up with anything noteworthy.
Marcos Alonso - 8/10
Alonso was constantly on the front foot in the first half and established himself as a threat while going forward. The full-back's impressive technique from set-pieces was rewarded yet again today when he scored the only goal of the game.
Willian - 7/10
The Brazilian kept the Southampton defenders on their toes with his quick feet and clever movement. However, the end product was certainly lacking and he would want to add to that part of his game.
Pedro - 6/10
Not the best of days in front of goal for Pedro who failed to repeat his impressive performance in midweek against Huddersfield. The winger could not operate effectively for the Blues in key areas of the pitch.
Eden Hazard - 8/10
Hazard forced Forster into making a couple of good saves in the first half and was one of Chelsea's best bets while going forward. Even though he didn't get on the scoresheet, Hazard showed a keen eye for a pass and found his teammates at will on numerous occasions.
Substitutes
Cesc Fabregas - 7/10
Fabregas did really well after replacing Pedro in the second half and contributed massively to Chelsea's swift movement inside the opposition's half. The Spaniard makes a drastic difference to the side and it seems like Chelsea lack a bit of innovation without him.
Alvaro Morata - 6/10
Morata seems to have put the back problem behind him and managed to stretch the Southampton defenders a few times after coming on. The striker made some crucial runs and combined well with Fabregas to pose a threat to Forster in goal.
Davide Zappacosta - N/A
Came on in the 82nd minute for Victor Moses.