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Chelsea made it five league wins in a row as they edged past Southampton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Marcos Alonso bagged the all-important goal through a direct freekick just ahead of the halftime whistle.
In the second half, Alvaro Morata returned from injury and had a few chances to get his name on the scoresheet but was denied by the Southampton defenders. The Saints, on the other hand, saw their chances come and go as eventually, they fell short against the defending champions.
#5 Maya Yoshida caps off a fantastic defensive display for the Saints
Mauricio Pellegrino has been criticised of late for approaching games naively, but, he seemed to have his tactics spot on against Chelsea. Saints centre-back Maya Yoshida was tasked to keep Eden Hazard at bay, and despite being drawn out of position time and again due to the Belgian's movement, Yoshida still managed to provide cover at the back and ensured that the Blues couldn't score from open play.
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Starting alongside Wesley Hoedt, the Japanese centre-back looked an assured figure on the ball and made key tackles to keep the Chelsea front men at bay. In the second period, he gave Willian a tough time in getting past him as he was always lurking on the back of the Brazilian hoping for him to give the ball away.
According to WhoScored, Yoshida made the most tackles (3) of any Southampton player on the day and also made a game-high five clearances. Wouldn't it have been for his exploits, Chelsea could have easily racked up three to four goals.
#4 Cesc Fabregas runs the show after coming on as a substitute
Despite Tiemoue Bakayoko's struggles of late, Antonio Conte decided to hand the Frenchman a start alongside compatriot N'Golo Kante. The former AS Monaco man did a decent job at putting the Saints midfielders on the back foot, but lacked the ability to provide that killer defence-splitting pass that would wreak havoc in the opposition back line.
However, once Cesc Fabregas was brought on for the last 20 minutes, Chelsea suddenly looked more fluid in the attack. He came on slightly before his countryman Alvaro Morat and linked up exceptionally well with him. His runs without the ball bedazzled the Southampton full-backs - which in turn created a positional overload for the likes of Willian and Morata to exploit.
There is a strong case that Chelsea should have been given a penalty after Fabregas was pushed inside the penalty area while taking a shot by Jack Stephens - but referee Roger East was benign towards the incident and chose not to take any further action. All in all, it was a brilliant cameo from the Spanish midfield sensation.
#3 Manolo Gabbiadini is not good enough for Southampton
Last season, Southampton signed Manolo Gabbiadini in January and the Italian hit the ground running. It looked like he had been playing Premier League football all his life as he seamlessly settled into the Saints lineup.
However, once his injuries kicked in, the Italian forward has failed to replicate his instinctive performances. This season it seemed that he would flourish in Pellegrino's system, but unfortunately, that has not happened.
In the game against Chelsea, he was surprisingly handed the start despite Charlie Austin being in a rich vein of form. As expected Gabbiadini was virtually anonymous as he wasn't able to break free of Chelsea's tight marking system and also due to the lack of creative players around him. He could also have done better to get his body on the ball from Marcos Alonso's free kick.
If Southampton are to ensure safety sooner rather than later, it is pivotal for them to sign a top striker in January. A number of forwards from big clubs could be available for a loan, and that could be something Pellegrino is considering going into the business end.
#2 Marcos Alonso makes the headlines for a well-timed free kick
When Marcos Alonso joined Chelsea on the penultimate day of last summer's transfer window, there was plenty scepticism among the Blues faithful as the Spaniard had previously struggled at Sunderland, and they weren't convinced he was the right man moving forward.
However, he quickly put all those doubts to bed and ended the season as one of the league's finest left-backs. Conte has managed to bring the best out of him as a wing-back, and apart from his defensive duties, he has been equally effective in the final third as well.
Against Southampton, he was once again a key part of a majority of the Chelsea attacks and scored the game's only goal to hand his side the three points. Much like former Manchester City defender Aleksandr Kolarov, Alonso has an exceptional range from free kicks and it showed as he curled a shot beyond the wall into the bottom left corner, leaving Fraser Forster with no chance of keeping it out.
He also has the highest goal involvement (14) of any Premier League defender since the start of last season. In that spell, Alonso has the back of the net on 10 occasions and has also chipped in with four assists.
#1 Eden Hazard thrives in a central role yet again
In the absence of Alvaro Morata who was left on the bench after recuperating from an injury, Eden Hazard was once again the pick of the bunch playing as the focal point of the Chelsea attack.
Deployed as a false nine, the Belgian attacker gave the Southampton defenders a nightmare as his constant movement off the ball saw huge spaces being left in and around the Southampton penalty area.
Hazard completed an impressive game-high seven take ons, and there was nobody that could stop him from having his way. Yoshida gave him a hard time, but on another day, the Belgian could have got his name on the scoresheet.
With Morata now returning to the fray, Hazard is expected to drop off to his secondary striker role, playing just in behind the Spaniard in a 3-5-1-1 system.
