Southampton earned a hard fought point, coming twice back from deficits to draw 3-3 versus Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Ralph Hasenhuttl was given the majority of his side to choose from with the only question as to wether Theo Walcott would get an immediate debut. Moussa Djenepo injured yet again is quite the concern and Stuart Armstrong will need some time to get back up to speed after testing positive for COVID-19. Mohammed Salisu is likely nearing a regular first team place, but for the time being he is the fourth choice centre-back.
Timo Werner spent the first half building his highlight reel, scoring three times in the first half hour, fortunately only two were to count. Jan Bednarek was the weak link, getting dummied and out paced for the first two Chelsea goals.
Southampton found a bit of something in the final five minutes of the first half. A classic Hasenhuttl press stripped Kai Havertz of the ball and Che Adams found Danny Ings for a well-timed goal. Saints are the team typically exposed during this period of play, but for once they were the team going into halftime with momentum.
Che Adams absorbed that positive energy, scoring an equalising goal after a comedy of Chelsea errors. However, Southampton were plagued again by the inability to keep their cool for more than two minutes. The letdown after the massive turn around was a lost opportunity to put the Blues on their heels.
In the end, massive credit to Saints for earning the draw and never giving up. The final 20 minutes they took control physically and mentally and that is a very positive sign in getting results. Jannik Vestergaard’s good form continued and Theo Walcott contributed well to Southampton coming back twice in the match. Here are the overall player ratings for Southampton in their 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge.