Chelsea edged six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Southampton at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The hosts broke the deadlock after just 11 minutes when Diego Costa nodded home having been found unmarked in the box by Branislav Ivanovic's cross, ending a seven-match goalless streak.
Their lead did not last long, however, as Dusan Tadic converted from the spot just eight minutes later after Nemanja Matic had brought down Sadio Mane inside the penalty area.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether a draw was the right result in West London.
Match statistics
CHELSEA
Shots: 22
On target: 7
Possession: 61%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 10
SOUTHAMPTON
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 39%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 11
Was the result fair?
Chelsea may point to more possession and more shots both on and off target, but Southampton were worthy of a point today. The Saints were the better side in the first half and perhaps should have led at the interval having created the better chances in the opening 45 minutes. They were superior in almost every department before half time and only a couple of smart stops from Thibaut Courtois prevented them from being ahead at the break.
Chelsea responded in the second half, though, and certainly had the better of things after the interval. They began to put Southampton under sustained pressure for the first time in the match, and the visitors were even more indebted to Fraser Forster in the second half than Chelsea were to Courtois in the first. The hosts pushed hard late on, even hitting the post through Costa, and may feel that they warranted a winner, but Southampton held out well.
A draw does not do much for either side, but it is a lot better than defeat when it comes to their respective goals for the season. Chelsea would have lost any momentum they gained from yesterday's results had they lost, while Southampton would have handed the initiative to their Champions League rivals in the race for fourth. As it is, both managers will probably settle for a point apiece, and, over the entire 90 minutes, it is just about the right result.
Chelsea's performance
After Manchester City's shock defeat to Burnley yesterday, Chelsea had the chance to strike a potentially fatal blow to the champions' title defence. Victory would have sent them eight points clear with a game in hand, but they failed to take full advantage. A six-point gap is still a commanding lead and they remain heavy favourites to go on and win the title, but today's performance raised yet more causes for concern following their Champions League exit on Wednesday.
Jose Mourinho's side were simply not at the races in the first half. Southampton beat them to almost every ball and looked dangerous whenever they put simple balls over the top that turned Gary Cahill and John Terry. At the other end, Chelsea were sorely lacking in creativity and only ever threatened when Costa made something of crosses into the box. They were comfortably beaten in the midfield battle and would have felt lucky to go into the break all square.
That changed in the second half, with the Blues playing with much more urgency and energy. They still struggled to break through the Southampton defence, but they created enough chances to have won the game, and would have done so if not for a fine goalkeeping performance. It has been a long time since Chelsea have been at their best, despite their now 10-match unbeaten streak, but the second half began to show a few glimpses of that. Overall, it was still some way short of their early-season displays, but it was at least an improvement on midweek.
Southampton's performance
Very few people expected Southampton to be challenging for Champions League football at this stage of the season, but today's performance suggests that they will be in the race until the end. Stamford Bridge is the toughest place to visit in the Premier League, but the Saints were more than a match for Chelsea at times and fought hard to earn a deserved point. The visitors were not in the best form coming into this match, but you would not have guessed that based solely on today's showing.
The early goal may have knocked the stuffing out of other teams, but Southampton responded brilliantly to going behind and spurned a great chance to equalise immediately, before winning the penalty less than 10 minutes later. They were worthy of the leveller and may feel that they should have gone into the break ahead. They had the better of the first half, creating the clearer chances and playing some nice football along the way.
They were forced to weather the storm a bit in the second half as Chelsea ramped up the pressure, but they showed exactly why they have the best defensive record in the league this season. They made things so tough for Chelsea's attack, with Morgan Schneiderlin in particular having a fine game in front of the defence. When the hosts did get through, Forster was there to deny them, and Southampton in the end held on for the draw. Ronald Koeman got his tactics spot on, with Shane Long adding a threat running in behind the defence, and he will be delighted with how his side played.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Morgan Schneiderlin: Forster and Mane both deserves mentions for this award, but it goes to Schneiderlin for the job that he did screening his defence. He was always there to break up play and largely got the better of Cesc Fabregas and Matic in the middle of the park - not an easy thing to do. When his side were under the cosh, Schneiderlin stepped up to the plate.
Biggest gaffe
The penalty was a key point in the game as Southampton's good response was rewarded with a quick equaliser. It was a dangerous challenge from Matic, who was the wrong side of Mane when he slid in inside the box. He did get some of the ball, but not enough to warrant lunging in fairly recklessly.
Referee performance
The biggest decision for Mike Dean this afternoon was the penalty, and he got it right. The referee could have sent Matic off right at the start of the second half too, but he was lenient with the already-booked midfielder. All in all, a fairly solid showing from the official, although Chelsea may feel that they should have had a penalty.
What next?
Chelsea: Chelsea will look to return to winning ways when they take on Hull City at the KC Stadium next Sunday.
Southampton: The Saints have a slightly easier assignment than this week, on paper at least, as they host Man City's conquerors Burnley on Saturday.
Barney Corkhill
