Kepa Arrizabalaga – Pulled off a very strong opening save from Kamaldeen Sulemana and had his work cut out to have any hope of denying James Ward-Prowse’s free kick. Made a crucial save after 73 minutes to deny Adam Armstrong. 7.

Cesar Azpilicueta – Chelsea’s captain conceded the foul Ward-Prowse scored from with a lumbering foul. Otherwise was fairly solid despite being put under pressure by Southampton’s press. Took a nasty knock to the head midway through the second half and had to be replaced. 6.

Kalidou Koulibaly – Picked up an early yellow for a clumsy high foot on Paul Onuachu, and may have been fortunate not to see red. Understandably replaced at the halfway mark after looking close to earning a second yellow during the first 45 minutes. 4.

Benoit Badiashile – An uncertain moment within the first minutes of the game as he failed to clear the ball past Sulemana, who saw his shot saved by Kepa. The Frenchman took a while to warm into the game but eventually did. 6.

Ben Chilwell – Had some difficult aerial duties up against Southampton’s Onuachu but dealt well with the situation despite the height disparity. Once again provided a more willing display to impact the opposition box and looked fitter than against Borussia Dortmund. 7.

Enzo Fernandez – The World Cup-winner struggled to make his influence felt in the match for an extended period as Chelsea’s midfield particularly struggled in the first half. Still showed good ability on the ball. 5.

Mateo Kovacic – The Croatian had a difficult first half but looked much more comfortable when Chelsea controlled the ball in the second period and he could control the tempo of the game more easily. 5.

Noni Madueke – The 13th minute saw Madueke finally able to stretch his legs on the ball and he drove well up the pitch to force a save from Gavin Bazunu. Produced some moment of ingenuity. 6.

Joao Felix – A grittier display from the Atletico Madrid loanee as he was mostly suffocated by his ability to produce some flare on the ball. Didn’t have a consistent enough impact. 5.

Mason Mount – An outing full of industry and a few moments of incisive play but Mount was still not up to the standard he would expect. 6.

Substitutes:

Wesley Fofana – A very confident display for his first competitive match since October. Perhaps slightly hesitant to release the ball quickly but a good performance. 7.

Raheem Sterling – Quickly had an impact on Chelsea’s left flank and probably proved to be the Blues’ best player on the pitch. Unfortunate to see his header cleared off the line but provided penetration on both wings. 7.

Mykhailo Mudryk – Had a limited impact following his introduction and had to play as wingback when Chilwell was replaced. 5.

Kai Havertz – Looked very lively as Chelsea looked for a goal and combined well with Sterling in advanced positions. Twice provided good passes for the winger. 7.

Trevoh Chalobah – Arrived on the pitch as Chelsea adjusted to a back three and helped the backline stay tight as the Blues pushed in search of an equaliser. 6.

Conor Gallagher – Went close with a late drive into the box in stoppage time but couldn’t find the net. 6.

Photo Credit: ChelseaFC/Twitter

Tags: Chelsea, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Raheem Sterling, Southampton

Raheem Sterling has revealed his incredible superstition when he gets on a goalscoring run.

He said: “If I score, I’ll just try to wear the same trainers with my tracksuit to the next game.

“And if I don’t score it’s going back in the closet.

“When it comes to really big games, I try to get myself in the mindset of how I’m going to affect the game.

“The more I don’t think about the game and go about my everyday life the better, to try to block the noise out.

“One of my favourite apps to get ready for a game is YouTube, I like to escape a little in humour and distract myself from any nerves.”

Tags: Chelsea, Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling was the hero of the day after recording a hat-trick as Manchester City defeated West Ham United 5-0 to get their Premier League title defence off to an impressive start.

The breakthrough came after 25 minutes, with David Silva playing in Kyle Walker, who cut the ball back from the byline for Gabriel Jesus to deftly flick in.

Kevin De Bruyne was a growing influence for City, and his penetrating run and pass set up Sterling to make it 2-0 six minutes after half-time.

Jesus thought he had scored a third for City, only for his goal to be disallowed after Sterling was adjudged to be offside in the build-up, making it the first decision to be overturned by a Video Assistant Referee in the Premier League.

The England winger chipped Fabianski to give City their third before substitute Sergio Aguero stroked home a penalty at the second attempt to ensure the Hammers were beaten.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side were not without their chances on an afternoon where VAR’s input was felt on numerous occasions. Diop went close with a headed effort while Chicharito and Manuel Lanzini also saw efforts well saved.

A match played in blustery conditions at London Stadium saw West Ham United’s first VAR check of the 2019/20 season made after seven minutes, after a coming together between Manuel Lanzini and Rodrigo in the City penalty area. The home players, and supporters, wanted a spot-kick, but the checks came back with a negative.

Riyad Mahrez proved to be a tricky option for the away side down the right-wing with the Algerian twice going close in the first period. An early shot was well-saved by the returning Fabianski before the winger pulled an effort wide midway through the first period.

Substitute Sergio Aguero added a fourth with a penalty after his first spot-kick was saved by Lukasz Fabianski but it was ordered to be retaken due to encroachment.

Sterling had the final say, beating Fabianski to score the first PL hat-trick on opening weekend since Didier Drogba for Chelsea in 2010.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

Tags: Manchester City, Raheem Sterling