Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the first of three Premier League matches today as Chelsea host Southampton at Stamford Bridge. Both teams still have plenty to fight for over the remaining months of the season, and three points in a tricky fixture like this one would be a substantial step towards their respective goals. Let's start with a look at the home side...

It all seems to have opened to even more nicely for Chelsea, whose disappointing week would have been brightened significantly by events yesterday. Most would have been expecting the Blues to begin this match with just a two-point lead over Manchester City, but the champions fell to a shock defeat at Burnley yesterday and the gap remains five, with Chelsea now having two games in hand over their nearest challengers. Indeed, with Arsenal now just a point behind City, it could well be a one-horse race to the title now.

Of course, having already blown a substantial lead once this season, Chelsea can't afford to become complacent again, but victory today would open up an eight-point gap which, with City only having nine matches left, would be a huge ask for them to overhaul. This weekend could prove to be the most pivotal yet in the title race, but for that to happen Chelsea must keep up their end of the bargain and return to winning ways today.

That will require getting over the devastating exit from the Champions League in midweek. Chelsea's hopes of a treble went up in smoke despite all of the odds being stacked in their favour against Paris Saint-Germain. They had a slight advantage with an away goal in the first leg, while PSG's star striker Ibrahimovic was sent off after just half an hour. Gary Cahill then gave his side the lead nine minutes from the end of normal time, and it looked as though it would be another quarter-final appearance for Jose Mourinho. David Luiz's bullet header forced extra time, however, and then Thiago Silva cancelled out Hazard's penalty with a late header to make it 3-3 on aggregate and send the visitors through on away goals.

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It was a deserved victory for PSG too, with Chelsea playing poorly despite their man advantage. In truth, it has been a long time since the Blues can say that they have been anywhere near their best. The 5-0 victory over Swansea was the last game in which they were really impressive, but that was way back on January 17. They have had 11 matches since then and none of them have been anywhere near the level we grew accustomed to seeing in the first half of the season.

They do keep grinding out results, however, with only one defeat in those 11 matches and none in their last nine in all competitions. Indeed, with the exception of the FA Cup defeat to Bradford and Wednesday's draw with PSG, Chelsea have more or less got an adequate result in all of their games during this lull in form. They haven't been convincing, but they have shown the ability to dig out results when not at their best which, as anyone will tel you, is a vital quality for prospective champions.

They are perhaps a tad fortunate not to have been put under more pressure from Man City in the league during this spell, but now they only have the title to focus on and Mourinho has already predicted that his side will win it. They have one trophy under their belts from this season following their League Cup triumph over Tottenham earlier this season, and even with their recent displays it is hard to see them letting the Premier League slip from their grasp, particularly if they win today.

Their form has also dipped significantly at Stamford Bridge, where they have only managed to win one of their last six games inside 90 minutes after winning 14 of their opening 15. The shock 4-2 defeat to Bradford in the League Cup seems to have altered Mourinho's mindset in matches, and he may benefit from taking the handbrake off a little now that his side has breathing space again. It should be noted that they do still have the best home record in the top flight and are the only undefeated side at home in England's top four tiers, while they have lost only once in front of their own fans all season. They have also only conceded five home league goals this season, keeping nine clean sheets in their 13 outings.

Those are daunting statistics for Southampton, particularly given their recent troubles in front of goal. They have found the back of the net just two times in their last six matches, both of which have come through Sadio Mane and none before the 83rd minute in a match. That drought in the final third has threatened to derail their challenge for Champions League football, but they do at least boast an impressive record at the other end of the field.

Today's match pits the league's two best defences against each other, with Southampton the only team to have conceded fewer than Chelsea this season. They may have only scored two in their last six games, but they have also only conceded four in that time to limit the damage of their profligacy at the other end. Interestingly, just as Chelsea have the best home defensive record, conceding five fewer goals in front of their own fans than anyone else, so Southampton have the best away defensive record. They have let in just 10 goals on their travels - also five fewer than anyone else.

The simple fact is that they need to start scoring more if they are to stick around in the race for fourth, though. They have only managed to score 14 goals away from home this season - the lowest tally in the top half of the division - while their overall total of 39 is the lowest out of any of the contenders for a Champions League place. The Saints have done so well this season and won't want to throw their hard work away right at the death.

They did breathe new life into their ailing Champions League hopes in their last outing, however, beating Crystal Palace 1-0 on March 3. In truth, they the a little fortunate to get away with all three points on that occasions, with Mane's late goal from a Speroni error rescuing a win after Zaha had earlier hit the post for the Eagles. It was not a great game overall, but the most important thing was the result and Southampton got a crucial win to end a three-match streak without victory.

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They have, however, only won two of their last seven matches in all competitions, losing four in that time. Three of those defeats have come in the Premier League which, with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool all in decent form, does not bode well for their Champions League hopes. They need to make a strong end to the season, and putting the pressure on Spurs and Liverpool by climbing above them in the table with a win today would be a good start.

They have generally been good away from home in recent weeks, however, winning five of their last six on the road in all competitions, including four of their last five in the Premier League. They have only conceded three goals in that time, but did lose their most recent away game as a 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion ended a four-match winning run on their travels for Koeman's side.

One of Southampton's big problems in their quest for Champions League football could end up being their record against teams in and around them in the table. They went on a losing run when they played them in quick succession earlier in the campaign and have only managed to pick up seven points from a possible 27 against the six teams currently above them in the table.

TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides, and the headline news is that Graziano Pelle has been dropped for Southampton having not scored in his last 11 Premier League games. Shane Long comes in to lead the line in one of a number of changes for the visitors, who also welcome Davis, Tadic and Alderweireld back into the starting lineup. Chelsea, meanwhile, make just the one change from midweek as Willian replaces Ramires. Full teams for both sides coming right up...

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Costa

CHELSEA SUBS: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Ramires, Cuadrado, Remy, Drogba

SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: Forster; Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand; Wanyama, Schneiderlin, S Davis, Tadic, Mane; Long

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: K Davis, Yoshida, Gardos, Djuricic, Ward-Prowse, Pelle, Targett

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, there aren't many surprises as far as Chelsea are concerned, with the only change coming as Willian returns to the starting lineup in place of Ramires. The incoming Brazilian was introduced at half time against PSG anyway, and completes what has been Mourinho's preferred XI all season. There were thoughts Mourinho may make a few changes following the disappointing result and the energy-sapping nature of it, but he has kept them to a minimum.

That means that Costa continues up front, but the bullish striker has suffered a bit of a lull in form in recent weeks. He is without a goal in seven matches for the club now and went through the entire Champions League campaign without finding the back of the net. There is no doubting that he has been a roaring success at Stamford Bridge so far, but Mourinho could do with him returning to top form to help push his side over the line now.

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Hazard is perhaps Chelsea's most dangerous player at the moment, with the Belgian looking dangerous almost every time he picks up the ball. His darting runs, change of pace and superb skills can be a nightmare for defenders to deal with and his importance to the side is such that, along with Terry, he is probably the first name on Mourinho's team sheet. Willian and Oscar always put a shift in and have played their part this season, but Hazard has been the real star of that trio behind the striker.

Matic is another who has shone this season, and he has overcome an ankle problem to start alongside Fabregas once again today. Like Chelsea as a whole, those two have not quite hit the heights they managed in the first half of the season recently, so will want to rectify that before the end of the season. The defence remains the same as ever, with Cahill seemingly back above Zouma in the pecking order now.

As for Southampton, they make a change to their defence as Alderweireld returns following a nine-week stint on the sidelines through injury. It is his first appearance since January 11 as he replaces Yoshida, who drops to the bench. The remainder of the back five, including Forster in goal, stays the same as Southampton look to keep yet another clean sheet this season. With an England squad just around the corner, Forester, Clyne and Bertrand will all be keen to impress.

There are two more changes in midfield as Davis and Tadic replace Djuricic and Elia from the side that beat Palace last time out. Perhaps the key players in the middle of the park for Southampton today will be Wanyama and Schneiderlin, however, as they look to stem the influence of Fabregas, Hazard and the rest. Schneiderlin was sent off late in the reverse fixture but is capable of stopping Chelsea from playing today.

The big change comes up front, however, with Pelle dropped from the starting lineup having scored just once in his last 14 games in all competitions and none in his last 11 in the Premier League - a run that stretches back to December 20. Shane Long, who has scored in two of his three Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge, is the man to come in, but it is Mane who has been shouldering the goalscoring burden so recently. He has five in his last seven league starts and is the only player to have scored for the Saints in the league since their victory over Newcastle on January 17. He also scored the opening goal in the reverse fixture back in December.

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PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is time for a prediction! Neither of these two teams have been at their best recently, and Chelsea midweek exploits could have an impact considering Southampton have had a 12-day rest since their last outing, spending time in the Alps. However, the hosts rarely lose at home in the league and have been given a golden opportunity to put on hand on the trophy by City's defeat yesterday. I can't see them passing that up, so I'm going for a 2-0 victory for Chelsea.

Southampton, incidentally, are looking to become just the second Premier League side this season to avoid defeat in either of their meetings with Chelsea, the other being Manchester City. The Blues, meanwhile, are the only team to have taken points off Southampton having conceded the first goal against them, with Eden Hazard's equaliser on December 28 enough for a 1-1 draw at St Mary's.

Chelsea have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League meetings with Southampton, winning six and drawing four of the remaining 10. They have also scored in each of their last nine league meetings, so will be confident of breaching of the division's stingiest defence this afternoon. Jose Mourinho's side have only failed to score in one Premier League game all season.

Southampton, meanwhile, are without a win in their last five trips to Stamford Bridge, drawing two and losing three since a 4-2 victory in 2002, when James Beattie netted a brace for the Saints. You'd have to think that Koeman would be content with a draw this afternoon given Chelsea's record at Stamford Bridge in the league this season, but if they could nick a win then it would do wonders for their Champions League hopes, and possibly for Man City's title ambitions as well.

The players come out on the field ahead of a big 90 minutes for both sides. Chelsea are big favourites to win this one today, but Southampton have shown all season that they are capable of matching the top teams when playing at their very best.

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us underway at Stamford Bridge with the chance to go eight points clear with two games in hand here. Can they do it, or will Ronald Koeman get one over on his former Barcelona colleague Jose Mourinho?

Chelsea have an early chance to come forward as Willian skips past a couple of defenders before sliding a pass out wide left for Azpilicueta. The full-back isn't a regular on the scoresheet and he shows why here, curling a poor effort well over the top.

Southampton look to have started this match with more of a 4-4-2 formation as Mane and Long lead the line together. That is a change from Koeman's usual tactics, and it is a brave move to play two strikers away to Chelsea.

Lovely close football between Willian and Hazard inside the box as they exchanges passes to get to the byline. The low cross towards the near post is a dangerous one, but Fonte is well placed to knock it behind for a corner.

Chelsea have made a fairly ominous start to this match in the Southampton final third, playing some short, sharp passes in and around the edge of the area. That can be so hard to defend against with the likes of Hazard, Oscar and Fabregas involved.

Better from the visitors as they settle into a bit of possession. It has been a solid start to the match from Southampton, but there is still a long way to go in this one.

Chelsea break the deadlock nice and early at Stamford Bridge, and it is Diego Costa who ends his mini scoring drought. Hazard drops the ball back to Ivanovic, who swings a good cross into the middle. Costa is completely unmarked and it is a relatively simple finish for a striker of his quality as he plants his header beyond a helpless Forster. Poor defending from Southampton.

CHANCE! Big chance for Southampton to come up with an immediate response! They advance down the left through Bertrand and Tadic, with the latter pulling the ball back to Mane in space inside the box. He goes for goal first time, but Courtois gets down well to make a vital stop. The danger is not over, however, and moments later Mane flicks the ball back to Tadic, who curls one a couple of yards off target.

That goal would have done Chelsea the world of good in their attempts to get over any European hangover, but Southampton have responded really well to going behind. Mane probably should have done better with his chance, but the Saints will be encouraged by how quickly they got in behind Chelsea after the goal.

Really bright play from Ivanovic as he tears down the right flank, beating a couple of Southampton players along the way before eventually being crowded out. Even though that one came to nothing, that is the sort of ambition that Chelsea fans will want to see from their side.

Southampton get the response as Tadic converts from the spot! It is Matic who concedes the penalty for a sliding challenge on Mane inside the box, and you can see why Mike Dean has awarded it. Matic did get some of the ball, but not enough to warrant lunging in like that inside the box. He picks up a booking for his troubles, and is further punished as Tadic puts his penalty straight down the middle. Courtois very nearly kept it out with his foot, but it squeezed over the line.

Ronald Koeman will be delighted with how his side have responded to going a goal behind. They have been the better team since Costa's opener and are deservedly level now. This one is finely poised between two teams looking to play good football.

Southampton are causing Chelsea problems with their pace in behind here. Long looks to be through on goal following a lofted pass forward, but the linesman's flag is harshly raised to deny the striker a one-on-one chance.

A hint of a penalty shout for Chelsea as Ivanovic breaks into the box and is just caught on the heel by Tadic. He probably does have a case for a penalty, but the theatrical nature of his fall does as much as anything to convince Mike Dean not to point to the spot.

Despite this being a meeting of the league's best two defences, both sides are looking capable of scoring at the moment. Chelsea look dangerous when they get into the final third, while Southampton's quick balls in behind the hosts are really troubling the defence.

Chelsea have struggled to find their rhythm since opening the scoring, and it is actually Southampton who have enjoyed more of the possession so far. The Blues can't keep taking their foot off the pedal and expecting to get away with it.

YELLOW CARD! Mane goes into the book for a sliding challenge from behind on Ivanovic. No complaints there.

CHANCE! Decent sight of goal for Chelsea, and again it comes through a lofted ball into Costa, who flicks his header a few yards wide. He just couldn't get enough on that one.

SAVE! Southampton break up the other end and have a chance of their own as Mane lifts a pass through for Tadic, who hits an early strike low and hard towards the back post. Courtois is down quickly to make a very smart stop, however.

CHANCE! Again Courtois is called into action, although this time he looks a little less convincing. It is great work from Bertrand down the left as he plays a one-two before putting a very dangerous low ball into the box that causes havoc at the near post. The ball pinballs around before Courtois can finally hack it clear with his feet.

Southampton have played really well in this opening half an hour or so. They probably deserve to be in the lead right now and will hope to capitalise on their period in the ascendancy with another goal before half time. They certainly look capable of getting one.

CHANCE! Another chance for the visitors as Long is played onside by Cahill, getting on to a through-ball before passing it inside for Mane. The ball is just stuck under his feet, however, and he can't get enough power on his shot to beat Courtois from 20 yards.

It will already feel like a long time since Costa opened the scoring for Chelsea. They have been second best since, but here is the striker converting that goal - his first in seven games:

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It just isn't happening for Chelsea in the final third now. They started fairly brightly, but there has been none of that short, sharp passing since the opening goal of the match. Costa, Fabregas and others are getting increasingly frustrated.

Southampton win a corner and Davis drills the delivery in low towards Schneiderlin's run. It is a difficult one for the midfielder to take on the volley, but he gets a decent contact on his effort. He can't wrap his foot around it to steer it on target, however, as it flies a few yards wide of the near post.

There have been far too many sloppy passes from Chelsea inside the Southampton half this afternoon. It has been another fairly poor showing from the hosts so far, with their best openings coming from crosses into the box.

There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of the first half.

Again Chelsea are limited to lifting a cross into the box for Costa, with Fabregas the man to deliver this time. It is a decent ball and Costa does well to get across his man, but he can only flick his header over the bar and would have done very well to beat Forster from there.

The first half comes to an end at Stamford Bridge, and we're all square between Chelsea and Southampton at the break. It has been a good game so far, with the visitors edging it over the opening 45 minutes. The hosts will need to improve in the second half if they are to move eight points clear of City at the top, while Southampton will feel that they are in with a very good chance of winning this game.

It was Costa who opened the scoring for Chelsea, ending his seven-match drought with a straightforward finish having been left unmarked inside the box. Ivanovic provided the cross, swinging the ball into a dangerous area where Costa was waiting to nod past Forster. It was poor defending from Southampton, but they responded to going behind really well.

They were back level less than 10 minutes later as Tadic fired home from the penalty spot after Matic had brought Mane down inside the area. It was a dangerous sliding challenge from the Chelsea man and, although he got some of the ball, he had to come from behind Mane to get it and you can see why the referee gave the penalty. Tadic was slightly fortunate with his finish, putting it down the middle and just squeezing it past Courtois's trailing leg.

Southampton had created a really good chance to equalise just a couple of minutes after the opening goal, with Tadic and Bertrand linking up down the left flank. The former pulls the ball back to Mane, who found himself in a yard of space inside the area. He hit his effort first time but didn't get as much on it as he might have liked and Courtois was able to get down and make the stop.

Courtois was by far the busier of the two keepers in that first half, also denying Tadic with a smart stop down to his left. The Southampton goalscorer was slid in down the left flank and drilled a good, low shot towards the far bottom corner, but Courtois got down well to save. The Belgian keeper also denied Mane with a more routine save as Southampton continued to come forward and cause Chelsea problems.

As for the hosts, they have been limited to hoisting crosses into the box for Costa to attack, with very little joy coming on the ground so far. In fairness, whenever they have put a decent ball into the box, Costa has made something of it. His goal came through that route, while he has had two other sights of goal by getting his head to deliveries into the middle. He will still want better service, though, as he had very few opportunities to hurt Southampton in that first half.

Chelsea as a whole need to improve. A number of their players became increasingly frustrated as the half progressed, with the hosts being far too sloppy in possession inside the Southampton half. They are fortunate to still be level at the break and Mourinho will be demanding an improvement from his side in the coming 45 minutes.

KICKOFF: Southampton get us back underway for this second half as they look to build on that first-half performance and pull off a shock in West London. No changes for either side at the break.

Ivanovic throws the ball straight to Mane at the start of the second half and he is only halted in his tracks by a cynical challenge from Matic, who has already been booked. That could well have been a second yellow for the Chelsea man!

SAVE! From the resulting free kick the ball is teed up to Alderweireld, who hammers a powerful strike towards the top corner. It is on Courtois's side and you'd expect him to make the stop, but he still needs a strong wrist to palm it away. Great effort from the Southampton defender.

Fabregas looks to be in for a moment following a clever dummer from Costa on the edge of the box, but the midfielder almost leaves the ball behind and Schneiderlin is able to get a foot in and halt the danger.

The Chelsea crowd are growing increasingly restless with their team as they continue to make fruitless trips into the Southampton half. It is breaking down every time they approach the final third at the moment.

CHELSEA SUB: Mourinho makes an early change in this second half as Matic, who is probably one foul away from a red card, is replaced by Ramires.

Better from Chelsea now as they begin to build a period of sustained pressure for the first time this afternoon. Southampton have been so tight at the back, however, and there is no way through for the hosts right now. The aerial route is the only one that has given them any joy so far.

PENALTY SHOUT! The hosts want a penalty as a piece of miscommunication between Fonte and Forster allows Costa to put the Southampton skipper under pressure. He goes down under the challenge, but it is Fonte who emerges with the ball.

OFF THE POST! Chelsea are inches away from breaking the deadlock, but Southampton survive by the skin of their teeth! Forster clawed a corner away only as far as Willian, whose driven effort looked to be flying wide until Costa threw himself at the ball. He can only get the very tips of his studs onto it and it also looks to take a deflection off a Southampton man before bouncing up and onto the post, almost in slow motion.

This has been much better from Chelsea in the last 10 minutes or so. They have upped the tempo and right now it seems like only a matter of time before they make another breakthrough. The visitors are being forced to weather a storm for the first time this afternoon as the hosts finally get into their stride.

Oscar tries to curl one in from the corner of the box, but he doesn't catch his shot right and it is trickles into the arms of Forster. You could see what the Brazilian was thinking, but the execution was poor.

CHANCE! Magnificent footwork from Tadic inside the box as he creates space despite being surrounded by blue shirts. He turns down the shot himself to set up Long, whose drilled strike is blocked by Cahill.

YELLOW CARDS! Ivanovic is the latest name in the book for a challenge on Mane just inside the Chelsea half. Mike Dean also goes back to caution Wanyama for an earlier challenge.

Southampton have managed to stem the tide a little after a long period on the back foot. They are seeing more of the ball now and keeping it for longer in positions further up the field, which is exactly what they needed to do.

Hazard has begun buzzing about more dangerously now, making his darting runs that can be so difficult to defend against. He seems to be having a growing influence on the game, and Southampton need to nip that in the bud.

YELLOW CARD! Cahill drags Mane down right on the left edge of the area having been beaten by the Southampton attacker, and he has no complaints at earning a yellow card for his troubles.

Davis drills the resulting free kick across the face of goal, but no-one can get a touch on the way through and Courtois is able to collect at the back post. He looks to launch a quick break, but it comes to nothing.

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Koeman makes his first two changes of the afternoon as Davis and Tadic are replaced by James Ward-Prowse and Filip Djuricic.

CHANCES! Two glorious chances for Chelsea to regain the lead! Again it comes from a cross as Willian picks out Oscar in the middle with a fine delivery from the right. Oscar's header is straight at Forster, who doesn't know too much about the save, but he then responds in time to deny Hazard from close range at the near post seconds later. Two big saves from the England international.

Fonte gives away a clumsy free kick in a dangerous position, coming through the back of Oscar. The Brazilian is standing over this kick himself, right on the edge of the area but a little wide...

CHANCE!. Oscar tries to power it towards the back post, but it flicks off the top of the wall and goes behind for a corner, which comes to nothing. Chelsea recycle the ball, however, and the ball is slid in to Oscar inside the box. He only has the keeper to beat, but Forster stays big to make another important stop at his near post.

Really good defending from Schneiderlin as he reads Hazard's pass back to the edge of the area, stepping in to make an important interception. The Southampton man has had a very good game this afternoon.

It is Chelsea applying all of the pressure at the moment, and that is only likely to intensify over the final 10 minutes or so. It could be backs-to-the-wall stuff for Southampton from hereon in.

CHANCE! Big chance for the hosts to get the lead back and it falls to Costa. The ball bounces about inside the penalty area and eventually falls to the striker, who has to wait for it to come down from his volley. He swings his left leg at it, but it takes a deflection on the way over the top.

CHELSEA SUB: A change for the hosts as Loic Remy comes on in place of Oscar for the final eight minutes.

YELLOW CARD! Djuricic goes into the book for a really nasty tackle on Willian. He scraped his studs right down the Achilles of the Brazilian.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: The visitors make their third and final change of the match as Graziano Pelle replaces Long.

CHELSEA SUB: Chelsea also make a change and Willian is unable to continue after that Djuricic challenge, being replaced by Juan Cuadrado.

A hint of a chance for Southampton as they break into the Chelsea box, but Mane's finish with the angle against him is wild and flies well wide of the near post.

The pressure is really starting to build on the Southampton defence now. Fabregas lifts a pass over to Cuadrado at the back post and the sub takes it down on his chest before scuffing his effort tamely wide of the near post.

Fonte gets away with one here as he misjudges a lofted ball over his head, going to intercept it instead of dropping deeper. Remy's touch lets him off, however, as the striker can't keep the ball in play. At the other end Mane looks to be through on goal, but his touch also lets him down.

CHANCES! Almost a late winner for Chelsea! Hazard does brilliantly to get the ball in front of Ward-Prowse, allowing Azpilicueta a shooting opportunity, but he is denied by Forster at the near post. From the resulting corner Forster is again called into action with a fine save to keep out Remy's effort, before Terry fails to convert with two bites of the cherry. How has that one not gone in?!

There will be four minutes of added time for someone to find a winning goal here.

Interesting decision from Pelle as he looks for a long, raking diagonal ball over the top for Mane instead of just keeping possession. Southampton still have faint ambitions of winning this match, even though a draw would be a good result.

Southampton hold on for the point as Chelsea miss the chance to move eight clear of Manchester City at the top of the table. They did at least avoid defeat and extend their lead to six, while the point is also enough for Southampton to move temporarily above Spurs into sixth place. The visitors will feel that they earned that point, but they had to resist some heavy pressure late on and Chelsea certainly had the chances to have taken all three.

Both goals came in the opening 20 minutes, and it was Chelsea who broke the deadlock when Diego Costa nodded home Ivanovic's cross from an unmarked position inside the penalty. The lead lasted less than 10 minutes, however, with Matic conceding a penalty and Dusan Tadic subsequently converting from 12 yards, just about beating Courtois's trailing leg down the middle. Costa also hit the post in the second half as Chelsea ramped up the pressure, but the Saints held on to become only the second team to avoid defeat to Chelsea in two Premier League meetings this season.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early kickoff as the spoils are shared between Chelsea and Southampton in an entertaining 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!