Southampton 1-1 Chelsea: Mason Mount earns Blues point after Minamino opener

Mason Mount’s second-half penalty claimed a 1-1 draw for Chelsea against Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were left to rue their lack of quality in the final third and had to settle for a point against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men. 

The hosts took a surprise lead in the 33rd minute as Takumi Minamino opened the scoring with a very cool finish past Edouard Mendy. 

Mason Mount pulled Chelsea level in the 54th minute from the penalty spot after Danny Ings brought him down in the area.

Chelsea dominated possession from the off in the south coast. Southampton struggled to get a touch of the ball and in the sixth minute, Thomas Tuchel’s men should have been ahead. Timo Werner led a Blues counter and Reece James picked out Marcos Alonso at the back post, but the Spaniard, despite having plenty of time and space, dragged his volley wide of Alex McCarthy’s goal.

(Photo by Neil Hall – Pool/Getty Images)

The signs were positive for the Blues. Werner looked lively and up for it, as did N’Golo Kante who returned to the side. But Chelsea had nothing to show for their dominance. Their lack of cutting edge in the final third and in their final pass was evident. It was summed up by Antonio Rudiger resorting to a tame 35-yard shot at McCarthy on the half hour mark. 

And Chelsea were punished in the 33rd minute for their lack of cutting edge by Takumi Minamino. A pass from Nathan Redmond split the Blues defence wide open and the Japanese midfielder dummied Edouard Mendy and Cesar Azpilicueta to cooly slot in to give the hosts a surprise lead. 

(Photo by Neil Hall – Pool/Getty Images)

Six minutes before half-time Kurt Zouma, a culprit for the Blues conceding, nearly levelled the scores but his header from Alonso’s free-kick was well saved by McCarthy. 

Tuchel was frustrated on the touchline throughout the first-half and that would have turned into anger as his side trailed at the break, putting his unbeaten start under threat. 

He saw enough and reacted instantly. Callum Hudson-Odoi was introduced for Tammy Abraham.

(Photo by NEIL HALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Chelsea, like they did in the first half, started the second brightly and Werner was slipped in by Alonso down the left channel. But he opted to take it on his left to fire into the side-netting, when three of his teammates were waiting inside the box. 

But shortly after Mason Mount was brought down in the box by Danny Ings, and in the 54th minute he converted from the spot to strike Chelsea level down on the south coast, sending McCarthy the wrong way. 

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

No chances of real note came until the 70th minute. The quality on display wasn’t at its greatest but the hosts nearly re-took the lead 20 minutes from time. A cross fell to Jannik Vestergaard at the back post but his header crashed off the woodwork. 

Hudson-Odoi who came on at half-time was hooked by Tuchel with 14 minutes to go by Hakim Ziyech in a double change for the Blues. Jorginho also came on for Mateo Kovacic. 

(Photo by NEIL HALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Mount danced to the byline six minutes from time to clip it back for Reece James, but the defender could only blast his effort well over the bar to add to Tuchel’s frustrations. 

And Chelsea had to settle for a point on the south coast. Southampton ended their run of six straight defeats, while Chelsea extended their unbeaten start to seven games under Tuchel. 

But it was an afternoon which should’ve been much more for the Blues. A frustrating point as the lack of clinical edge in the final third cost the visitors once again. 

Chelsea only had themselves to blame, highlighting the improvement still needed from the side. Next up is Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday – it doesn’t get any easier from this point on. 

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