Rating the Top 5 Chelsea Players Against Southampton

Chelsea looked in prime position to take three points against Southampton at Stamford Bridge in their midweek English Premier League makeup match.

However, a 2-0 halftime lead was blown to pieces in the second half thanks to the nonstop attacking push by Southampton forward Jason Puncheon.

The former Liverpool youth was the obvious man of the match, as he scored the equalizing goal for the visitors in the 75th minute while being the primary proponent of everything good the Saints did in the second half.

Aside from the strong performance by Puncheon against the Blues, here is a rundown of the top five Blues on a night of utter frustration for the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Ramires

Ramires struggled to get into the match early on, but as the game progressed, he grew into the action and would eventually start to have a positive impact on the proceedings.

He was denied by the woodwork in the build up to Eden Hazard's goal just before halftime, but was no where near the threat he usually poses to be.

David Luiz

David Luiz had a good first half when he was marking Jay Rodriguez, but the second-half battle with substitute Rickie Lambert failed to go his way, as the Southampton forward got his side back into the match.

Other than his poor marking on Lambert and several daft moments in possession, Luiz was above-average but nothing special.

Juan Mata

It was not a Juan Mata performance many will be appreciative of. In his defense, the Spanish attacker never stopped searching for the breakthrough chances to create for his side.

He had several great moments, but ultimately, the Southampton defense did well to shut him down and keep him from orchestrating goal-worthy possession chances for Demba Ba.

Demba Ba

New arrival Demba Ba continues to be the front line's most consistent threat, as Fernando Torres once again finds himself on the bench.

Ba had the chance to put his side up early on, and there was never any doubt that he would put it in the back of the net.

Eden Hazard

Easily the most dangerous Chelsea player all night long, left-winger Eden Hazard had an inspired performance, constantly causing issues for the Southampton defense.

The young Belgian scored the second goal of the club's opening half with a finish that was taken with a calm and collected piece of class that should be beyond the recently turned 22-year-old winger's years.