Southampton shock Chelsea thanks to Ward-Prowse magic

Joe Prince-Wright
·4 min read

Southampton beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge as the Premier League’s bottom side secured a massive win in their fight against relegation.

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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.

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Selles proves he is ready

After spending many years as an assistant coach and watching on as Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones both struggled to get this Saints team going, Ruben Selles grabbed his chance to be a Premier League manager with both hands. Saints were organized, played more experienced players, looked dangerous in 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. Selles should clearly get the job full time and this Saints side have a reference point for how they can perform week in, week out.

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.

Chelsea vs Southampton
Chelsea vs Southampton

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, Saturday
TV Channel: Peacock
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium

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.

Decent start from Chelsea as Azpilicueta smashes a shot into the side-netting. Southampton are hanging in there.

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)

Southampton team news, injuries, lineup

OUT: Juan Larios (groin), Tino Livramento (knee), Alex McCarthy (ankle), Che Adams (knock)

Latest USMNT news

Report: Christian Pulisic set to leave Chelsea this summer Jesse Marsch to Southampton talks break down (report) Jesse Marsch fired by Leeds United

 

Southampton shock Chelsea thanks to Ward-Prowse magic originally appeared on NBCSports.com

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