Southampton 0-3 Chelsea: Three key players

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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 07: Eden Hazard of Chelsea runs with the ball under pressure from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Wesley Hoedt of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Chelsea FC at St Mary’s Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Southampton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Wesley Hoedt

I personally have been pretty damning of Hoedt’s performances this season, so credit where it’s due, he played well yesterday. With Jannik Vestergaard dropped, the Saints went with Hoedt as the middle centre-back of their five-man defence, leaving him with the responsibility of leading the back-line.

Hoedt has been criticized for his lack of defensive presence in the past but only Jorginho matched the Dutchman’s four tackles yesterday. On top of that, he made three interceptions, another three blocks and a whopping seven clearances.

Statistics don’t tell the whole story but these figures were the best all-round defensive figures of anyone on the pitch, something we’ve not been able to say about Hoedt too often since he arrived on the south coast last summer. We can only hope this wasn’t a one off.