Southampton 1-1 Chelsea: Player ratings as Thomas Tuchel's men are held by Saints

Southampton ended a run of six consecutive Premier League defeats as they held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at St. Mary's in the Saturday afternoon early kick off.

After a spell of early dominance from the visitors it was the Saints who took the lead. Chelsea's backline was nowhere to be seen as Nathan Redmond's through-ball set Takumi Minamino free, with the Liverpool loanee sitting Cesar Azpilicueta and Edouard Mendy on their backsides before slotting home.

Thomas Tuchel's men very nearly restored parity just minutes later, though Alex McCarthy reacted well to deny Kurt Zouma's bullet header and the Saints headed for the interval a goal to the good.

Chelsea were handed a glorious opportunity to level the scores early in the second half, with Danny Ings producing what can only be described as a striker's challenge on Mason Mount, leaving Anthony Taylor with no choice but to award a penalty. The Blues midfielder dusted himself off to slot home the spot kick in Jorginho's absence.

The visitors pushed for a winner but it wasn't to be, as Tuchel extended his unbeaten run as Chelsea boss to seven games.

That's the match highlights out of the way, now let's get to those Southampton and Chelsea player ratings.

Southampton player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Alex McCarthy (GK) - 7/10 - Produced a smart save to deny Zouma in the first half but could do very little about the Chelsea equaliser. Showed good handling and earned his side a point with a good save from Mount late on.

Mohammed Salisu (RB) - 7/10 - Showed incredible positional awareness for someone just 21 years of age. Struggled with Timo Werner's pace at times but stuck to his task and performed very well.

Jan Bednarek (CB) - 5/10 - Looked slightly off the pace all afternoon. Continued to battle with the Chelsea forwards but produced a number of mistimed challenges.

Jannik Vestergaard (CB) - 6/10 - Came within inches of handing his side the lead with an instinctive header which rattled the crossbar. Solid if not spectacular defensively.

Ryan Bertrand (LB) - 7/10 - Showed a willingness to drive his side forward and offer an outlet on the left-hand side once Chelsea had equalised. Defended brilliantly at the back post.

2. Midfielders

Takumi Minamino (RM) - 8/10 - One of the coolest and most audacious finishes you are likely to see in a Premier League game. Wasn't afraid to drift infield and pick up pockets of space as he terrorised the Chelsea midfield.

James Ward-Prowse (CM) - 5/10 - A quiet display in what has been an excellent season. Always looked a threat from set pieces but his all-round display wasn't to the level we've come to expect.

Oriol Romeu (CM) - 7/10 - Just did what he does. Sat in midfield, broke up play and handed it off to those around him. Makes what he does look easy, but Southampton's recent drop off in form in his absence is proof of his importance to the team.

Moussa Djenepo (LM) - 8/10 - Something of an underrated player in the Southampton squad. Worked for the good of the team all afternoon and never looked like neglecting his defensive duties. A fantastic performance.

3. Forwards

Danny Ings (ST) - 5/10 - Produced a striker's challenge to hand Chelsea the opportunity to level the scoring from the spot. Didn't really have a kick all afternoon and was withdrawn late on.

Nathan Redmond (ST) - 6/10 - Afforded a free role in the team and produced a sublime assist as the home side took the lead. Struggled to maintain his level of performance but there's signs he could be a big part of the club's run-in.

4. Substitutes

Nathan Tella (CM) - 5/10

Che Adams (ST) - 6/10

Dan Nlundulu (ST) - N/A

Chelsea player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Edouard Mendy (GK) - 5/10 - Made to look like an under-10 goalkeeper by Minamino as he sat him down before opening the scoring. Not given a whole lot to do on the afternoon but his performance will be remembered for the goal he conceded.

Cesar Azpilicueta (CB) - 5/10 - Also made to look foolish by Minamino as he opened the scoring. Attempted to force the issue and was guilty of conceding possession on a couple of occasions, though his defending was solid.

Kurt Zouma (CB) - 6/10 - Used his aerial presence to good effect as he almost levelled the scoring with a powerful header in the first half. Distributed the ball into midfield and kept things simple.

Antonio Rudiger (CB) - 7/10 - Battled with Ings all afternoon and came out on top against the England man. After a tough period under Frank Lampard the German is beginning to prove his worth to Chelsea.

6. Midfielders & Wing-backs

Reece James (RWB) - 5/10 - Couldn't find any real quality in the final third and was handed a glorious opportunity to grab his side the three points late on, though he could only find row Z.

Mateo Kovacic (CM) - 5/10 - Started brightly and looked set to run the show from midfield, but couldn't maintain his level of performance and ended up gifting possession to the opposition all too often. Withdrawn midway through the second half.

N'Golo Kante (CM) - 6/10 - Was busy all game and recycled possession well. Not a vintage Kante performance but steady nonetheless.

Marcos Alonso (LWB) - 5/10 - Tucked inside whenever Chelsea were moving forward in a bid to offer more space on the overlap. Couldn't contain
the lively Djenepo and picked up a yellow card after the Mali international made him look a bit daft with a neat bit of skill.

7. Forwards

Mason Mount (RW) - 8/10 - Moved into a number ten role following Callum Hudson-Odoi's half-time introduction, and made a much bigger impact playing more centrally. Took the fight to Southampton after Chelsea went a goal down. As if we thought he might not have a future under Tuchel.

Tammy Abraham (CF) - 5/10 - Struggled to impact the game and was clearly still hampered by the ankle knock he picked up against Newcastle on Monday. Battled bravely but was withdrawn at half-time.

Timo Werner (LW) - 5/10 - Cut a frustrated figure for much of the game. Clearly desperate to make things happen but it just wasn't to be his day.

8. Substitutes

Callum Hudson-Odoi (RW) - 5/10

Jorginho (CM) - 6/10

Hakim Ziyech (RW) - 6/10