Southampton stood up to some persistent second-half pressure to earn a 1-1 draw from their home encounter with league leaders Chelsea this afternoon.
The Saints broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when summer signing Sadio Mane lobbed an effort over Thibaut Courtois and into the net.
However, Eden Hazard responded in first-half stoppage time for the Blues, who dominated large spells of the second half. Yet, they could not make that count on the scoresheet, even after Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin had been sent off late on.
Here, Sports Mole looks back over the encounter at St Mary's Stadium to determine if the result was a fair one, or whether one side deserved to win.
Match statistics
SOUTHAMPTON/strong>
Shots: 9
On target: 1
Possession: 39%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 23
CHELSEA
Shots: 7
On target: 1
Possession: 61%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
The initial thought straight after the final whistle was that Southampton were rather fortunate to have claimed a share of the spoils. However, on deeper reflection, a point is just reward for the home side's efforts.
Yes, Chelsea were comfortably the dominant force after the restart, but they failed to work Fraser Forster significantly. In fact, both sides scored with their only shots on target and overall, the Saints actually had more goal attempts. There probably would have been few complaints had Chelsea won, but a draw certainly does not flatter Southampton.
Southampton's performance
In their previous meetings against the bigger sides this season, for a variety of reasons, Southampton have fallen short. Today, though, the Saints were competitive throughout and were arguably the better team during the opening 45 minutes.
Manager Ronald Koeman deserves some of the credit because the decision to play Mane in a more central problem caused numerous problems for Chelsea's centre-back pairing of John Terry and Gary Cahill. That duo, neither of whom are blessed with great pace, were dragged into areas of the pitch that they clearly were not comfortable in.
There was also plenty of character shown by the home side, particularly when you consider that Chelsea equalised in first-half stoppage time. Heads could have dropped, but they rolled up their sleeves and dealt with the pressure that came their way after the restart. Such was the standard of Southampton's defending, Forster did not have a save to make in the second half. It is the type of the performance that will have the Saints squad believing that they can in fact compete with the Premier League's best.
Chelsea's performance
For 45 minutes, Chelsea produced arguably their worst display of the season so far. Only Cesc Fabregas came out of it with any credit and it was little surprise that it was the Spaniard that set up Hazard for the goal - his 13th assist of the season.
It was the half-time introduction of Willian at the expense of Andre Schurrle which swung the balance Chelsea's way. With the Brazilian playmaker in midfield, the visitors retained possession much better and at times had Southampton pegged back inside their own penalty area.
Having said that, the fact that they were unable to create a clear goalscoring chance of note for Diego Costa, Didier Drogba or Loic Remy will have left Jose Mourinho bitterly disappointed. His side have now collected just four points from their last four Premier League away matches, which may be a cause of slight concern heading into 2015.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Sadio Mane: The Senegal international has been somewhat inconsistent since his arrival from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer, but today showed just why Koeman was keen to sign him. Playing centrally in the first half, Mane terrorised Terry and Cahill with his pace and non-stop running off the ball. Then, when the chance to score presented itself to the 22-year-old, he took it with aplomb.
Biggest gaffe
In an encounter that was relatively gaffe-free, there is little choice but to pick on James Ward-Prowse and Costa. First, Southampton substitute Ward-Prowse played the ball back towards his own goalkeeper without looking. Had he got his head up, he would have seen Costa blocking the ball's route. However, he got lucky because, as the Chelsea frontman turned to sprint towards the Saints goal, he slipped. Not a moment to remember for either player.
Referee performance
Anthony Taylor was correct to send off Schneiderlin for two bookable offences, but it was his decision to caution Fabregas in the second half that caused the most controversy. The Chelsea midfielder was clearly clipped by Southampton youngster Matt Targett inside the area, but Taylor judged that the Spaniard had dived. It seems that right now referees are struggling to identify what is a dive and what isn't.
What next?
Southampton: The Saints bring in 2015 with another home encounter against a London club, with Arsenal the visitors to St Mary's Stadium.
Chelsea: As for the Blues, they return to the capital, albeit White Hart Lane and a derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
Liam Apicella
