Southampton did not look like the team with a caretaker in charge. Liberated after bringing their brief, tortured relationship with Nathan Jones to an end, the Premier League’s bottom side turned up at Stamford Bridge, found Graham Potter in a muddle and left with the points after punishing Chelsea’s complacency with a beautiful free-kick from James Ward-Prowse.
Chelsea, drifting in 10th place after winning two of their past 14 games, could not complain about luck. January’s big spenders got what they deserved for picking a team that would have been more suitable for the early rounds of the Carabao Cup. There was no cohesion and ultimately this was a performance to test the insistence that Chelsea are building under Potter, who felt the pressure on him rising after Southampton held on for a win masterminded by their energetic interim manager, Rubén Sellés.
