Chelsea suffered a dreary afternoon against Southampton on Saturday as James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick clinched a shock 1-0 win for the relegation strugglers. Graham Potter’s Blues side were peppered with boos at the interval and at full-time, with a desperate run of one goal in five games providing fans with cause for concern.
Potter shook things up against the Saints with David Datro Fofana handed a start through the middle and Mykhaylo Mudryk dropped to the bench. Southampton, meanwhile, were playing their first game since sacking Nathan Jones, and Ruben Selles more than impressed while filling in as caretaker.
The gritty visitors outworked their opponents with Romeo Lavia bossing the midfield and a rock-solid back-line keeping Chelsea at bay. Ward-Prowse sparked bedlam in the away end as his textbook free-kick turned out to be the winner, edging Southampton closer to safety.
With the dust settling on an intriguing afternoon of Premier League football at Stamford Bridge, Express Sport takes you through the Blues’ three worst players on the day…
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Mason Mount
The prime candidate for Chelsea’s most disappointing performer, Mount has been in a poor vein of form over the past few weeks and a dreary outing against Southampton will have done little to boost his confidence. The England international had extra incentive to come up with the goods, too, as a boyhood fan of the Saints’ bitter rivals, Portsmouth.
Mount did not contribute much to the game and tended to lose the ball shortly after receiving it. He can count himself fortunate not to have been involved in the double change at the break, with David Datro Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly coming off – but he was withdrawn on the hour mark after missing a good-headed chance to equalise.
Enzo Fernandez
A metronomic passer and someone that’s always willing to take the ball in tight areas, Fernandez has been impressive since completing his British record move from Benfica in January. But his performance level depends on not making too many mistakes in such an important position at the base of midfield, and errors crept into his game on Saturday.
The World Cup winner came off second best on more than one occasion against Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, and he cut a frustrated figure with several fouls committed on a tough afternoon, in which he was broadly unable to stamp his authority and control the tempo of the game.
Joao Felix
As has been common in his handful of Chelsea appearances, Felix showed once again that he is a high-quality player with flashes of innovation and technique. He can occasionally be guilty of trying too hard, however.
More than once during the match, the Portuguese showed good work rate to win the ball back or good skill to beat a man, before ultimately trying to do too much and neglecting a simple pass that could have kept Chelsea moving.
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