Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard being mobbed by team mates after scoring his side’s equaliser just before the interval
Sadio Mane opened the scoring in the 17th minute by chipping the ball over Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard grabbed an equaliser just before the interval
Southampton were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages as Morgan Schneiderlin picked up a second yellow card.
Jose Mourinho’s fight on five fronts – Barclays Premier League, Champions League, Capital One Cup, FA Cup and with referees – goes on.
The tension is mounting in this absorbing title race and anyone who witnessed the Chelsea manager’s unnecessary assassination of the match official’s performance recognised some familiar signs.
Attack mode: High. Stress level: Off the scale. Mood: Dangerous. Vision: Blinkered. Target: Anthony Taylor. Outcome: Direct hit.
‘There is a campaign – not against me, but against Chelsea,’ he whined, after Cesc Fabregas was felled by Southampton’s rookie left back Matt Targett inside the penalty area with the score at 1-1.
The brutal truth is Mourinho flipped his lid here, losing control of his emotions at a time when he was unaware Burnley had equalised at Manchester City. If only he had known.
To think it had all been going so sweetly, Chelsea serenely closing in on their fourth Barclays Premier League title when they moved nine points ahead of City in November.
Mourinho barely mentioned a word of the game, other than to hiss repeatedly when he was quizzed about Taylor’s failure to award Chelsea a 55th-minute penalty. Fabregas was booked for simulation. It was, indeed, a ridiculous decision because Targett took the attacker’s legs from under him and appeared to be blocking his path with an arm at the same time.
It should have been a penalty, but then Ronald Koeman could legitimately argue that Chelsea still had another 35 minutes to eke out a winner.
In the end, given Ashley Barnes’ equaliser at the Etihad, they got away with it.
This was classic Mourinho, setting up a bigger diversion than the cones being laid out on that irksome M3 last night, in a resilient attempt to avoid a heavy-duty inquest into his side’s performance.
He can be thankful that City are still three points behind them after they were pegged back by Burnley. Still, this was a big slip.
Southampton were excellent, barely showing signs of any fatigue after their purposeful 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.
Here they scored early on, taking the lead when Dusan Tadic’s delightful lob sent Sadio Mane in the clear. The Southampton forward got his chance because Chelsea’s defensive line was so high and John Terry made a rare error by appealing for offside.
After the outstanding season he has had, the Chelsea captain is entitled to make one mistake. Yet, it was a significant one.
Mane went on to beat the on-rushing figure of Thibaut Courtois and send this place into raptures.
Saints fans in every area of the ground were hugging each other. And there was a long smouldering cuddle between Tadic and Koeman on the sidelines. What joy for the home fans.
Koeman responded to the rhythmic chants from all four corners of St Mary’s as they sang his name after Mane’s opener. He returned a cheery wave.
Tadic has seven assists now, a decent haul for a player who always seems to put in a shift down the left flank.
This is the first time Chelsea have conceded in the league since Papiss Cisse’s double sealed Newcastle’s win at St James’ Park on December 6. They have had a good run for their money.
Southampton cashed in first, taking the lead and prodding Chelsea into action. They had to do something about it.
They have the same Christmas schedule as every other team, except they play with the added pressure that every team wants to put one over on them.
Southampton were hungry, full of willing runners in the centre of midfield. Morgan Schneiderlin, at least until he was correctly dismissed for a second booking for repeatedly chopping Hazard, was the pick of the bunch.
The one man Southampton could not afford to take their eye off was Fabregas. Remember the backspin James Rodriguez put on the ball for Cristiano Ronaldo to run on to and score at Anfield in the Champions League a couple of months ago? There were shades of that here, as Fabregas put Hazard in with a wonderful chip.
The Belgian took a touch past Maya Yoshida, wrong-footed the rest of the Southampton defence and curled the equaliser beyond Fraser Forster.
It was Hazard’s first goal on his travels since January, against Hull, but it was worth the wait.
