Southampton criminally surrendered a two-goal lead against Chelsea on Saturday to eventually lose the game 3-2.
A determined performance by the Saints in front of a packed and vibrant crowd at St. Mary’s had seen Mark Hughes’ men take a commanding lead after an hour of the match, but three Chelsea strikes in nine second-half minutes landed a potentially crucial blow to the home side’s survival hopes.
Dusan Tadic’s first-half goal following Ryan Bertrand’s brilliant run down the left flank saw a half-time lead for Southampton, and Jan Bednarek turned home a James Ward-Prowse free-kick well in the second period.
However, the introduction of Olivier Giroud by Antonio Conte proved pivotal. The Frenchman’s well-taken brace either side of an Eden Hazard goal saw the Blues steal the three points.
Despite some very poor defending late on by the Saints, the effort of the players could not be faulted for much of the game. Here are three key players from their performance: