Chelsea Player Ratings v Southampton
Petr Cech – 6
The goalkeeper was a little caught out by the early goal but was rarely tested thereafter.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 7
Azpilicueta has made the left-back position his own recently and continued his consistency.
John Terry – 8
Has been Chelsea’s best player this season and marked his 400th appearance with a goal.
Gary Cahill – 7
Scored the equaliser and was solid alongside the skipper for the most part.
Branislav Ivanovic – 5
Caught napping again for the Southampton goal and showed a serious lack of technique on the ball.
Michael Essien – 3
Early error led to a goal and kept giving the ball away.
Ramires – 9
The Brazilian isn’t always the best on the ball but he worked tirelessly, was good both sides of the ball and assisted Ba for the third.
Juan Mata – 8
Great to see Juan back in the line-up and even better to see him created chances & putting in a good display.
Oscar – 6
Forced a save or two but has been quiet lately. Doesn’t get enough passes off.
Eden Hazard – 6.5
A constant threat and linked up well with Mata a few times but was a little predictable today.
Fernando Torres – 6
Made himself a nuisance some of the time but often takes too long to act and turns slower than a jumbo jet at times.
Subs:
Frank Lampard – 6.5
Played an important part for Terry’s goal and put in a composed display.
Demba Ba – 7
Has he earned himself a start against Sunderland with his performance and goal?
John Obi Mikel -N/A
Came on late to shore up the midfield and help see out the result.
***
It was hardly a vintage performance from Jose Mourinho’s side but the manager will be happy with the character shown by Chelsea when they came from behind to beat Southampton 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are second in the Premier League table and four points behind London rivals Arsenal.