Madueke excellent, Felix shines, Nkunku scores again - Chelsea player ratings vs Southampton
Chelsea have recorded yet another three points as their wonderful recent form continued at Southampton on Wednesday evening.
Enzo Maresca made seven changes to the Chelsea side that beat Aston Villa at the weekend. And the Blues got off to a sluggish start with Southampton the better team in the early stages.
Then, however, against the run of play, Axel Disasi opened the scoring with a header from a corner early on. However, Joe Aribo equalised for the Saints just moments later after some poor defending at the back from a Chelsea point of view.
Some really poor play from Southampton, though, allowed Chelsea to regain their advantage not long after. Christopher Nkunku rolled the ball into the net after Noni Madueke anticipated a pass into the defence from goalkeeper Joe Lumley.
Madueke turned from assister to goal scorer next with a fabulous finish into the bottom corner after a pass from Joao Felix. Southampton were down to 10 men not long after when captain Jack Stephens was dismissed for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair.
The second-half was more of a low-key affair but it did lead to Cole Palmer scoring and Jadon Sancho not too long after that. The match ended 5-1 to the Blues.
Below, Bobby Vincent shares his ratings out of 10 for the Chelsea side based on their performance. Let us know if you agree in the comments section below.
Filip Jorgensen - First appearance in the Premier League. Did great. A fantastic save in the second-half to deny Mateus Fernandes from close-range. 7.
Malo Gusto - Sloppy. Did not really add too much going forward and his central position meant Disasi was often left alone to defend on the right-hand side. He does well for Sancho's goal, though, which drives his rating up. 6.
Axel Disasi - Did really well to get his head on an Enzo Fernandez corner early on and open the scoring. 7.
Tosin Adarabioyo - Solid. Passing was strong as always. Hit the woodwork twice. 6.
Marc Cucurella - I mean he forced a red card... or at least his hair did. He did well. 6.
Moises Caicedo - Solid as always. Didn't notice him as much as I often do which is bizarre. 6.
Enzo Fernandez - Another game, another assist for the Argentine. Moments after, though, he was guilty of not going in as hard as he should have to win the ball from Kyle Walker-Peters, and it led to an equaliser. 6.5.
Noni Madueke - Exceptional for Nkunku's goal. Brilliant pressing and anticipation. Exceptional for his goal, too, shifting the ball onto his left foot before finding the far corner with a lovely strike. Great performance but the only complaint would be how he did not score more than his one goal. 8.
Cole Palmer - Hit the post in the first-half when he probably should have scored. Delivered a peach of a cross to Joao Felix at the start of the second-half. Got his goal in the end; of course he did. 7.5.
Joao Felix - Some bright moments. His work-rate off the ball has improved so much. Set up Madueke for his goal. Really excellent performance but he had to score with his free header at the start of the second-half. 7.
Christopher Nkunku - One of the more simple goals he will score to put Chelsea 2-1 up. But that's what he does: score goals. 7.
Jadon Sancho (on for Madueke 71') - On the right-hand side. Scores his first goal for the club. 7.5.
Renato Veiga (on for Cucurella 79') - N/A.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (on for Palmer 79') - N/A.