Chelsea have moved back to 2nd in the league table with a 5-1 win over Southampton. The Blues have closed the gap at the top to 7 points after Liverpool dropped points to Newcastle United.
Axel Disasi opened the scoring before Aribo equalized 4 minutes later. However, that was the only time Southampton came close to getting something from the match, as Nkunku and Madueke scored to make it 3-1 before Jack Stephens got sent off.
Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho scored in the second half to seal a comfortable 5-1.
Southampton player ratings vs Chelsea
Goalkeeper
Jow Lemley – 6: Gifted Chelsea a goal and then made some decent saves to keep the scoreline decent enough.
Defender
James Bree – 6: Could not deal with the Chelsea forwards, but every time he got on the ball, he was able to find a teammate with ease.
Nathan Wood – 6: As far as doing well on the ball goes, he was top notch but defending? Not so much.
Jack Stephens – 3: Got sent off in the first half for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair. Unnecessary, especially from the captain.
Kyle Walker-Peters – 6.5: His determination got them the goal of the match. He was not great in defence but was always available for his teammates to pass the ball.
Ryan Manning – 7: Pick of the Southampton defenders as he did well against Madueke and made some good blocks.
Midfielders
Joe Aribo – 7: The midfielder scored their only goal but that was it. He never got close to his Chelsea counterparts for the rest of the match.
Mateus Fernandes – 6: Surprised he lasted 79 minutes on the pitch as he was getting eased past by the Chelsea players. Never looked like he belonged on the pitch.
Ryan Fraser – 6: Nothing great today, as he just could not get the basics right.
Forwards
Adam Armstrong – 6: Kept making good runs but never got the ball from his teammates. Played just over an hour but never got a shot away.
Cameron Archer – 7: The striker was working hard but had to create his own chances. He was also dropping deep to help.
Substitutes
Ben Brereton Díaz – 6.5
Kamaldeen Sulemana – 6
Yukinari Sugawara – 6
Ronnie Edwards – 6.5
Charlie Taylor – 6
Manager
Russell Martin – 6: There were little he could do as the mistakes from his players saw them lose today. Nothing wrong with the team and tactics.
Chelsea player ratings vs Southampton
Goalkeeper
Felip Jorgensen – 7.5: The goalkeeper did well on his debut and had to make just three saves. There was nothing he could do about the goal.
Defenders
Malo Gusto – 8.5: Started poor but ended with an assist. He needs to work on his positioning or else Reece James and Moises Caicedo will take over as the main RBs.
Axel Disasi – 7.5: Scored the opening goal and was decent defensively. Could be one of his better displays for Chelsea, but still not great.
Tosin Adarabiyo – 7.5: The defender hit the post twice but his biggest mistake was getting caught flat-footed for the goal conceded.
Marc Cucurella – 8: Not his best game but still hardly put a foot wrong. Was rather quiet today.
Midfielders
Enzo Fernandez – 9.5: Got on the ball at every chance and was the engine on the pitch. Got an assist and could have got more today easily.
Moises Caicedo – 8: He just stayed behind the attackers and kept the ball moving. Did not have a lot to do defensively.
Jarrod Bowen – 7: The Englishman showed why he is the West Ham captain but never got any support.
Cole Palmer – 8.5: Not his best but he still got a goal after he stole it from Nkunku. He could have easily got a couple of assists as well today.
Noni Madueke – 8.5: The winger was dropped in the previous match and he bounced back well. A goal and an assist to put pressure on Neto for the starting role.
Joao Felix – 8: The Chelsea man is slowly showing what he can do and got an assist today. Was getting into the right positions and also driving into the box.
Forwards
Christopher Nkunku – 8.5: He could have easily scored more but he had to settle for a goal and an assist today.
Substitutes
Jadon Sancho – 8
Renato Veiga – 7
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7
Manager
Enzo Maresca – 10: Spot on with the starting XI, tactics and substitutions.
FAQs
Q. What was the result of Southampton vs Chelsea?
A. Southampton lost 5-1 to Chelsea.
Q. When was the Southampton vs Chelsea?
A. Southampton vs Chelsea was played on 4th December 2024.
Q. Who was the man of the match in Southampton vs Chelsea?
A. Enzo Fernandez was the man of the match.
Q. Who was the worst performer in Southampton vs Chelsea?
A. Jack Stephens was the worst player during Southampton vs Chelsea.