Marcos Alonso’s delightful free-kick just before thof half-time was enough to see Chelsea through, in this game against the Saints. They dominated possession and barely had anything apart from a few half chances to defend. In this authoritative performance, they managed to net just one goal in spite of pushing the opposition defence deeper.
The Blues now have 8 wins from 10 games and are up to 38 points. Here are the Chelsea player ratings.
Thibaut Courtois: 7/10
Apart from two saves off Carlie Austin which he smothered away easily, Courtois had a quiet evening.
Gary Cahill: 6.5/10
Had a few horrible, nervy moments as he wasn’t able to sort out his feet on those occasions. Otherwise, he was in the right place to clear the ball away almost all the time.
Andreas Christensen: 8/10
He won all foot races, be it with Gabbiadini or Austin. In a diligent day at the office, Christensen was alert and disciplined.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7.5/10
He tidied up everything. The vice-captain barely allowed a cross to come in from his flank or a player to get past him. When he went forward, he played some fine over the top passes.
Marcos Alonso: 9/10
What a stunning strike from the free kick specialist in the Chelsea squad. Alonso was at times, the furthest man on the pitch and while hugging the line, he enjoyed space to pass it in behind or deliver it into the box.
Victor Moses: 7/10
Very tidy defending and tracking back. While going forward, he won a few corners and fouls, which were important. Moses’ change of pace was fantastic.
N’Golo Kanté: 8/10
Covered a lot of ground as usual and put all his heart into the winning the ball back or help the front men. Kanté was as hardworking as he always is.
Tiemoue Bakayoko: 6.5/10
The Frenchman had a few moments of sharp tackling whereas in some, he gave away the ball cheaply.
Pedro: 7.5/10
Looked comfortable on both sides and worked really hard defensively. Pedro was extremely busy this afternoon as he ran the races, dribbled around and kept the ball pretty well.
Willian: 9/10
Willian was a real threat every time he played the cheeky through balls and drove forward. A man of the match show.
Eden Hazard: 7/10
His awareness was just matchless. With all the tricks and flicks, Hazard put up yet another convincing performance. He had a goal disallowed, which was quite an incisive finish.
Substitutes
Cesc Fabregas: 8.5/10
Ever since he came on, there was a certain spark and dynamism about Chelsea’s play. The number of touches he had, the way he calmed all nerves down, and link up with Kanté, Willian and Morata was simply outstanding.
Alvaro Morata: 7/10
Much better with hold up play unlike the game against West Ham. He twisted and turned well to get his shot away.
Davide Zappacosta: NA
He was brought in only to give Victor Moses some rest. He won both of his 50-50 challenges which was great to see.