Chelsea could not overcome relentless Southampton away from home to further worsen their slow start of the Premier League season.
Despite being reduced to 10 men for the entirety of the game, Chelsea managed to hold off a Leicester onslaught in the second half on Saturday to earn a spirit-boosting three points. Unrelenting Southampton controlled most of the game and won to move above Chelsea on the log.
Recall that Thomas Tuchel was in charge of the Blues’ 6-0 victory over Southampton in April, one of his biggest victories with the team, and was once again on the South Coast touchline but could not perform any magic.
Raheem Sterling resumed his scoring streak after starting it against Leicester, Kalidou Koulibaly served out his suspension and was in the lineup, whilst Conor Gallagher was not named for the game as he was penalized last weekend.
Although Southampton fell to Manchester United by a razor-thin margin on Saturday, they have displayed talent so far this season under Ralph Hasenhüttl, and several of their newer recruits have shown potential.
Raheem Sterling, Chelsea’s recent signing, has continued to prove that he is a good buy. During the game against Southampton, Mason Mount found the England international in the box, and Sterling wasted no time in burying the ball in the 23rd minute to give the visitors the lead.
After Chelsea failed to successfully clear a corner, the hosts equalized within five minutes as Lavia slammed home from the edge of the penalty box.
While Hakim Ziyech was receiving medical attention when the scoreline was 1-1, coach Thomas Tuchel used the opportunity to have lengthy conversations with Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, and Raheem Sterling all in an attempt to change the tempo of the game in Chelsea’s favor. Unfortunately, all that failed to work in the visitors’ favor.
Minutes after Tuchel’s technical efforts from the sidelines, Southampton scored when Adam Armstrong buried a shot from the penalty spot.
Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea the lead, but they failed to capitalize, and Romeo Lavia’s superb goal from the edge of the box brought the Saints back into the match.
Just before halftime, Southampton took the lead after it appeared that both teams would finish the first half with a 1-1 draw.
In the second half, Southampton had more opportunities to score more goals. For instance, the Saints floated the ball over Chelsea’s box as both sides battled for the ball, Marc Cucurella produced an amazing and crucial clearance to prevent the ball from ending up in the net.
Also, Southampton almost extended their lead in the second half but Silva was there to clear the lines for Chelsea to keep the scoreline 2-1 throughout the second half.
At the end of the game, Chelsea recorded their second setback in the past five games which is an eye opener for the club’s technical crew moving forward.
Note that Chelsea have spent $114m on defenders so far this summer. They’re currently in 8th place having already conceded 8 goals.
Thomas Tuchel faces numerous issues, not all of which can be resolved through the transfer market. But he is condemned to find a winning formula for the team before things get more difficult.
Chelsea’s next game is against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, September 3, 2022. The game will kick off at 15:00.
