Southampton 1-1 Chelsea Player Ratings: Mount preserves Tuchel's unbeaten start
Chelsea were forced to come from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday and preserve Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start.
Liverpool loanee Takumi Minamino did his parent club’s top-four hopes a favour as he opened the scoring with a smart finish against the run of play.
Chelsea, though, deservedly fought back and levelled through a Mason Mount penalty.
Southampton 1-1 Chelsea: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
But who were the standout performers?
✔️ GOOD PERFORMANCE
Mason Mount: 7.1
Another formidable attacking display from the Chelsea midfielder, who made his team tick and was their greatest threat as they pushed for a winning goal in the second half of the match.
Of course, he converted the crucial penalty, but his overall display was excellent. He supported his forward players well, was readily available high up the field and was the most active player in the final third of the pitch.
Set up a wonderful chance for Reece James late on that the right wing-back wasted.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7.7
A very busy performance from the wing-back, who contributed heavily at both ends of the field.
Defensively, he made all three challenges he attempted, won five of nine headers and eight of 13 duels.
Going the other way, he touched the ball more than 130 times - the most of any player on the field - and completed more than 110 passes at 86% accuracy.
✖ BAD PERFORMANCE
Danny Ings: 4.8
The England striker has often had his praises sung this season, but this match was a complete disaster for the former Liverpool man.
He struggled to see any of the ball, failed to muster just a single shot off target and a single touch in the box. Otherwise, he contributed previous little to his team, completing less than two-thirds of the passes he attempted.
Won just four of his 16 ground duels and two of the seven headers he challenged for.
⭐ STAR MAN
Kurt Zouma: 7.9
Chelsea’s defensive assurance has been a feature under Thomas Tuchel and centre-back Zouma was once again an outstanding performer.
He was formidable defensively, beaten in just one of the five aerial challenges he competed for and in one of the six ground duels he made. Made a team-high four clearances, recovered the ball five times and had more than 100 touches.
Southampton 1-1 Chelsea: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats