Southampton beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge as the Premier League’s bottom side secured a massive win in their fight against relegation.
Caretaker boss Ruben Selles has done his chances of getting the Saints job on a permanent basis no harm whatsoever.
James Ward-Prowse whipped home an incredible free kick right on half time and Southampton defended superbly in the second half as they made several last-ditch tackles and blocks to frustrate Graham Potter’s Chelsea.
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The win moves Southampton on to 18 points this season but they remain bottom of the Premier League table after wins for Bournemouth and Everton on Saturday. Chelsea have 31 points and the pressure is building on Potter.
Graham Potter channels his anti-Taylor Swift
Unlike Taylor Swift, Graham Potter is not singing about being the problem. The opposite is true. Okay, he wasn’t singing but when asked about Chelsea’s fans calling for him to be fired following their defeat to Southampton (they have now won just two of their last 14 Premier League games) here was his response: “I am sure there will be people out there who think that I’m the problem. I don’t think that they are right but I am not arrogant enough to say that their opinion isn’t worth articulating.”
In other words: ‘Hi! I’m not the problem. It’s not me’
This awful dip in form has a new low point and the jury remains out on whether or not Potter will succeed. Chelsea created chances galore again but couldn’t finish any off and these are very similar issues to the ones Potter had at Brighton. The xG king is struggling to find the right combinations in attack to finish off these chances and Chelsea have now won just one of their last eight Premier League games. If the Chelsea owners are truly going to stick with Potter for the long run, they are now very close to the stage where they will have to write this season off. The gap to the top four continues to grow.
Selles proves he is ready
After spending many years as an assistant coach around the world and watching on as Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones both struggled to get this Saints team going this season, Ruben Selles grabbed his chance to be a Premier League manager with both hands. Saints were organized, played their more experienced players, looked dangerous in the 4-2-2-2 system which worked well for years under Hasenhuttl and they kept things simple. Maybe Saints do have a chance of staying up? This is the kind of victory which sparks a big comeback and they now have a run of winnable games coming up. After arriving in the summer as an assistant coach, Selles should clearly get the main job on a full time basis and this Saints side now have a reference point for how they can perform week in, week out. As the players pushed him forward to celebrate with the Saints fans in the away end at the full time whistle, it was clear they back Selles and want him to succeed.
VAMOS! 🤌 pic.twitter.com/xSQFLTnoIy
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 18, 2023
Cesar Azpilicueta injury update
Late in the second half Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta suffered a nasty whack to the head and was stretchered off the pitch. Chelsea boss Graham Potter provided the following update on Azpilicueta as he was given a standing ovation from both sets of fans as he was carried off.
Chelsea vs Southampton player ratings; Stars of the show
James Ward-Prowse: Brilliant free kick and dug deep to show incredible leadership. He is the heartbeat of this team.
Romain Perraud: Fantastic last ditch block and clearance and did a great job on the left.
Graphic via FotMob.com
What’s next?
Chelsea are away at Tottenham on Sunday, Feb. 26, while Southampton travel to Leeds United on Saturday, Feb. 25 in a massive relegation six-pointer.
How to watch Chelsea vs Southampton live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET, SaturdayTV Channel: PeacockOnline: Stream via Peacock Premium
FULL TIME: Chelsea 0-1 Southampton - What a start for Selles! Sensational scenes in the away end, while Chelsea are booed off by their fans.
Incredible blocks by Romain Perraud and Romeo Lavia as Chelsea somehow don’t equalize. They celebrate it like a goal.
Lengthy delay here and real concern for Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta. He went down after a bicycle kick hit him in the face. He is stretchered off the pitch to a standing ovation from both sets of fans.
WHAT A BLOCK! Chelsea looked sure to equalize but Ainsley Matiland-Niles arrives with a brilliant block.
Saints are looking dangerous on the counter and Chelsea are struggling to create chances.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 0-1 Southampton - What a brilliant first half from Saints. They were solid and then a bit of magic from JWP has them unexpectedly ahead.
GOALLLL! James Ward-Prowse whips in a delightful free kick up and over the wall. Because of course he does. Bottom of the table Southampton lead 1-0 at Chelsea. Wow.
JAMES WARD-PROWSE DOES IT AGAIN!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 18, 2023
This is his 17th free kick goal in the Premier League and he's only 1 away from tying David Beckham's record.
📺: @peacock #MyPLMorning | #CHESOU pic.twitter.com/AhTWtrg8Df
Decent start from Chelsea as Azpilicueta smashes a shot into the side-netting. Southampton have had chances too through Sulemana and Onuachu. An even start.
Key storylines & in-form players to watch
All of the focus at Chelsea is on scoring more goals and they have been so close to doing that in recent games. They didn’t take their chances in the first half at West Ham last weekend and were made to pay for that in the 1-1 draw, while Potter not starting a proper No. 9 up top continues to boggle the mind. Chelsea’s new signings Fernandez, Mudryk and Felix all look very good and you have to think everything will slot into place very nicely soon. As for Southampton, a couple of their January signings look like top players too with Carlos Alcaraz, 20, scoring his first goal last week against Wolves and Kamaldeen Sulemana looks like a brilliant attacking talent. Now, can Saints improve defensively? If they can, they have a chance of staying up.
Chelsea team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Armando Broja (knee), Edouard Mendy (finger), Christian Pulisic (knee)
The Chelsea lads! 📋@ParimatchGlobal | #CheSou pic.twitter.com/9fFSaeqlZt
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 18, 2023
Southampton team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Juan Larios (groin), Tino Livramento (knee), Alex McCarthy (ankle), Che Adams (knock)
Your Saints at Stamford Bridge 😇
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 18, 2023
Here’s the #SaintsFC line-up for today’s visit to #CFC! pic.twitter.com/d6A8sNDVqk