The 95 minutes that we saw played at St Mary’s this afternoon is the reason we all love football. After looking down and out, our fortunes changed, we reversed the scoreline and prevented Southampton from doing the double over us this season.
It was a beautiful match which left Chelsea fans frustrated and bemused until Fabregas whipped in a cross that rolled past Fraser Forster; a man who hadn’t conceded a single goal since his return from injury.
Throughout the first half, none of the Chelsea team could maintain the ball for a long period of time, with many passes going wayward and providing the opposition with possession.
This was the main factor for Southampton’s goal in the 44th minute, Rahman attempted to pass the ball via his head to Branislav Ivanovic, but the Serbian was left short handed as Shane Long piped the ball, went through on goal and flicked it over the oncoming Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian shot stopper’s positioning needed to be questioned as he came out, then proceeded to stop, allowing the Irishman to put the home side ahead.
The second half was a frustrating spectacle, but things changed in the 75th minute, as Eden Hazard put Diego Costa through on the wing, who ‘controversially’ kept the ball in play, proceeded to pass to Fabregas on the edge of the box, and the Spaniard attempted to cross it to Hazard who was in the box, but the ball rolled in without a touch.
From then on Chelsea were dominating possession and clinched the game in the final minutes. Willian took the corner with Branislav Ivanovic leaping higher than anyone else and knocked the ball past a despairing Fraser Forster.
The game ended 2-1 to Chelsea, but there were many questions that need answering: Courtois positioning for Southampton’s goal, Oscar’s performance and certain play acting.
