James Ward-Prowse scored a world-class freekick to help Southampton produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. Ward-Prowse delivered the decisive blow in first-half stoppage time with his 17th successfully converted free-kick, closing in on David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18. Pressure is rising on Potter, who saw his team improve in the second half but fail to break down a staunch Saints defense under temporary manager Ruben Selles. Deep into stoppage time, Gavin Bazunu’s outstretched fingertips denied substitute Conor Gallagher. Southampton sits at the bottom of the Premier League, but this result will give their survival aspirations a much-needed boost, as Selles offered the ideal audition for the permanent replacement for Nathan Jones.
Prior to the game, Potter refused to blame bad luck for Chelsea’s goal-scoring woes, despite the fact that his club had only scored twice in their previous five outings. Only Crystal Palace has fewer goals in the Premier League’s top 12 than Potter’s side, and their lack of a recognized striker was once again highlighted when they drew a blank in Borussia Dortmund, their seventh scoreless performance in 12 outings. A cutting edge was notably lacking in the first half on Saturday when Southampton rightfully took the lead. After three minutes, Benoit Badiashile was caught in possession after Kamaldeen Sulemana’s attempt was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga and Kalidou Koulibaly cleared Stuart Armstrong’s shot off the line.
Chelsea had only half-chances to think about at the break, with Cesar Azpilicueta shooting wide from David Datro Fofana’s lay-off after Noni Madueke had tested Bazunu’s gloves – but the visitors drew first blood on the stroke of half-time through a familiar source. Ward-Prowse now has 17 Premier League free-kick goals, and he licked his lips when Azpilicueta fouled Stuart Armstrong 25 yards out. Ward-Prowse curved his shot over the wall and into the net, prompting boos from the home fans at the interval.
Potter made two changes, bringing in Raheem Sterling and Wesley Fofana to replace the hapless Koulibaly and David Datro Fofana. Sterling made an immediate impact when his cross from the left narrowly avoided Mason Mount’s leap before his deflected effort drifted narrowly wide. Nonetheless, Saints continued to absorb Chelsea’s best attempts beyond the hour mark, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz coming off the bench. It didn’t take long for the substitutes to link up, as Sterling stole the ball from Havertz and bamboozled Romeo Lavia before connecting with Havertz again down the right, only to see his shot well stopped by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Sterling was looking up again as his header from Havertz’s cross was wonderfully cleared off the line by Romain Perraud, only for Lavia to come back and deny him on the rebound. Following a brutal knock to the head of Azpilicueta, who was carried off on a stretcher, a 10-minute delay would further heighten the excitement among the home fans. Saints went on the attack when Theo Walcott’s low cross was met by fellow replacement Adam Armstrong, but Kepa saved his attempt. Gallagher wriggled free inside the Saints area to challenge Bazunu late on, but Southampton could celebrate an unusual triumph as Mudryk volleyed over.
“After a 1-0 loss at home, any criticism is understandable. We’ve had a difficult time and faced numerous hurdles in terms of integrating young players into the Premier League. It might be difficult when you do not see results. That’s the way it is. Some individuals will believe that I am the source of the problem,” Chelsea boss Graham Potter said. “I don’t think they’re correct, but it doesn’t mean they can’t express themselves. In terms of performance, we took a step back in the first half. The response in the second half was adequate yet insufficient.”
“It was a fantastic performance from the team. We moved like a unit. We had a solid plan so I’m happy we gave ourselves the chance to win the game and to perform. We knew we would have a few moments in the game. It has been a very difficult year for us. You could see the reaction from the players after the blocks so I’m very happy for them,” Southampton interim manager Ruben Selles said. “I identified with the pre-existing principles. We used a lot of what was available because it wasn’t about management. The players then pieced it together using the information we provided.”
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