Christian Pulisic made his mark in the 59th minute. (Photo courtesy of Chelsea FC)

LONDON – In his first start since injuring his hamstring in the F.A. Cup final Aug. 1, U.S. men’s international midfielder Christian Pulisic acquitted himself well in Chelsea’s 3-3 draw with Southampton Saturday.

Pulisic played 87 minutes in the English Premier League match and helped set up the Blue’s third goal, which gave the squad a 3-2 lead in the 59th minute at Stamford Bridge.

After Southampton rallied from a 2-0 deficit, Pulisic avoided a tackle and passed to Timo Werner. He, in turn, set up Kai Havertz, who slotted home the go-ahead tally.

Pulisic did not get an assist for the goal, but he certainly played a vital role in the score.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.