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Chelsea 1-0 Southampton: Match takeaways

By Nikos Lemanis

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: N'Golo Kantea of Chelsea nd Oriol Romeu of Southampton battle for posession during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: N'Golo Kantea of Chelsea nd Oriol Romeu of Southampton battle for posession during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: N’Golo Kantea of Chelsea nd Oriol Romeu of Southampton battle for posession during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: N’Golo Kantea of Chelsea nd Oriol Romeu of Southampton battle for posession during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Southampton’s winless run was extended to five games following a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. A Marcos Alonso free kick was enough to sink the Saints, although his curled effort wasn’t the only talking point of the afternoon.

Following the heavy defeat to Leicester on Wednesday evening, fans were hoping for a reaction in terms of both performance and desire.

Once again, Mauricio Pellegrino rang in the tactical changes. The formation was revised to accommodate three-at-the-back and six changes were made to the starting lineup. Most noticeable of the omitted players was Charlie Austin, scorer of four of the last eight Saints goals. Virgil van Dijk was also relegated to the bench, further fueling speculation over his imminent departure to Chelsea.

The combination of this week’s results and some tough upcoming fixtures now puts the team in a potentially sticky situation. So aside from no points, what can we take from this last game of a busy week?