Chelsea 3-1 Southampton: Five key stats from the match

Chelsea rebounded from midweek Champions League disappointment to down surprise package Southampton 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, leaping up to second in the table in the process. Jay Rodriguez’s lightning opener from a Michael Essien error sent the Saints on with a fantastic start to proceedings, but Chelsea showed their quality in the second half to score three unanswered goals and condemn the visitors to a second straight Premier League defeat.

Key Stats

The hosts saw just a slight bit more of the ball than Mauricio Pochettino’s men, clocking up 52% possession in a relatively even contest in terms of territory.

A fair amount of loose distribution was a characteristic of the encounter, with the Blues completing just 73% of their attempted passes, 355 in total, whilst Southampton didn’t fair much better in picking out a teammate 74% of the time from 340 passes.

As a result, neither side created a massive amount of chances, Chelsea coming up with five key passes to the Saints’ rather meager three, though Jose Mourinho’s charges were able to notch seven shots on target as their opponents found the frame of the goal only once.

Man of the Match

John Terry took Man of the Match honours as he continues a resurgent campaign under the returning Mourinho, racking up a Squawka Performance Score of 64 to top all participants.

Staunch at the back with nine clearances as he added a tackle and interception each, Terry was a constant aerial threat to Southampton offensively as he won three out of four headed duels in the south coast outfit’s penalty area.

The Chelsea talisman’s enterprising attitude going forward eventually paid massive dividends as he headed home a lovely looping winner from Juan Mata’s cross on 62 minutes, securing all three points for his club in their second half comeback.

Performance Score

The Performance Score chart is heavily indicative of the dynamic of the game, as Southampton jumped out to an early lead and remained disciplined until half to oppress Chelsea, leading 42 to -51 at the break.

Bright upon returning for the dressing rooms, the Saints quickly were overrun by a reinvigorated Blues side as Gary Cahill took advantage of their inability to clear and nodded home from close range, bringing the sides nearly level as the visitors’ lead was reduced to 10-6.

Terry’s goal soon after drove Chelsea far into the ascendancy at 87 to -62, as Mourinho’s men began to dominate the contest, steadily rising until Demba Ba’s late strike killed off the match entirely, with the home side reversing the fortunes of the first half to win the Performance Score fight 154 to -100.

Key Observations

The match featured a large amount of one-on-one battles, with 45 combined take-ons attempted between both clubs, leading to 24 tackles from Southampton and 25 from Chelsea.

Each side committed 14 fouls in view of many of the players being keen to take on their markers, leading to a bevy of set piece opportunities that could’ve aided either, but weren’t truly taken advantage of.

Where the winners did distinguish themselves was in the air, as they were victorious in 26 if 37 headed duels (70%), exercising dominance when the ball was played off the carpet and forcing Southampton to contend with their physicality.

Chelsea’s unmatched presence in the air eventually proved the deciding factor on the day, as Terry and Cahill headed home to equalise and grab the lead respectively, with the Blues having completed 10 crosses out of 24 attempted, and four from eight corners.