#2 Southampton a little blunt in the final third
Chelsea may have taken the lead, but Southampton dominated for large chunks of the first half and then came on strong again after Costa had doubled the home side’s advantage in the 53rd minute. Despite their neat interplay and patient build-up, though, the visitors to Stamford Bridge struggled to test Courtois as much as they ought to have done.
Scoring two goals is no mean feat at this ground, of course, but it was hard to shake the feeling that Southampton could have turned their considerable pressure into something far more tangible.
Claude Puel’s men saw 52 percent of the ball throughout the game but produced just a couple of shots on target in each half. Sofiane Boufal possesses plenty of trickery yet was guilty of holding on to possession for far too long, while Dusan Tadic’s poor form continued as he struggled to have an influence on proceedings.
Despite shipping four here, Southampton’s defensive record is the 10th best in the top tier. By contrast, only Watford, Stoke City, Hull, Burnley, Middlesbrough and Sunderland have scored fewer goals than the south coast side this season.
