Saints Flying High – Southampton 2 Chelsea 1

Mauricio Pochettino’s third win in charge of Southampton moved them into an impressive 12^th place, four points clear of the relegation zone.

With both of Pochettino’s previous wins for Southampton coming against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, The Saints were right to be feeling optimistic about their chances against an inconsistent Chelsea side. To increase their hopes further, it was clear that Blues manager Rafael Benitez clearly had Monday’s match against Manchester United on his mind, resting Eden Hazard, Ramires and Ashley Cole.

Jay Rodriguez round off a well-worked goal for The Saints. Credit: @SouthamptonFC

Southampton took the lead in the 23^rd minute following a sustained period of pressure, culminating in a well worked goal from Jay Rodriguez. Chelsea briefly managed to find a way back into the game with John Terry finding the net in his first start since February. Parity between the sides was short lived however, as just two minutes later Rickie Lambert’s superb 25-yard free-kick proved to be the decisive goal in a disappointing game for the visitors.

Indeed after this result, Chelsea find themselves only two points above fifth placed Arsenal with eight games left to play. The coming week sees them take part in three crucial games which could make or break what has so far been a lacklustre season for them. The aforementioned F.A. Cup game against Manchester United is, arguably, the biggest of the three, and Benitez will be under pressure to show that yesterday’s resting of key players was justified.

Despite the win and the mid table position it resulted in, Southampton are still not safe from the drop and Pochettino, like his opposite number on Saturday, is still yet to prove that the men in charge made the right decision in bringing him in midway through the season. However, Southampton’s play in the early stages of the match was deeply impressive, with Pochettino’s high pressure style visibly rattling the visitors. Chelsea offered little in the early stages and were duly punished when Lambert played in Rodriguez who tucked the ball away beautifully following a delicate one-two with Steven Davis.

Apart from a disallowed Torres goal, Chelsea showed little intention of getting themselves back into the match. However after Victor Moses earned them a corner on the left, John Terry was allowed to power a thunderous header past Artur Boruc after a slip from his marker. Southampton could have rightly felt hard done by Chelsea’s undeserved equaliser. However, just two minutes later Rickie Lambert found himself standing over the ball 25 yards-out from goal. What followed was a majestic shot which curled over the Chelsea wall and into the top corner of the net.

Writer’s Comment: Rafael Benitez’s team selection was a reflection of the position that he finds himself in. He knows he is leaving at the end of the season and therefore wants to be remembered for winning a trophy, not simply for qualifying for the Champions League. Therefore his team selection was understandable. The performance however, was not. On this display, Chelsea showed very little to suggest that they have what it takes to fend off the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal. When Hazard and Mata return to the team, things will almost certainly improve, though these are the kind of games that they really ought to be winning – under strength or not. Take nothing away from Southampton however, they were very convincing today. They gave the opposition very little time on the ball and scored a beautifully well worked goal. The challenge for the manager now is to translate this impressive form against the big teams into solid points gained from the smaller ones – something he has yet been able to do. It will be games like those which will decide whether they stay in the division.

Man Of The Match: Jay Rodriguez – Opened the scoring with a deft finish and got into some dangerous positions. The fans may have been singing ‘Lambert for England’ but had Roy Hodgson been watching this game he would he would have almost certainly been more impressed by another English striker.