71 min Hoedt was injured as he challenged Giroud for that cross and is off the field receiving treatment.
Giroud gets Chelsea back in the game with a fantastic header! Alonso crossed towards the near post from a deep position, and Giroud dived away from Hoedt to steer a brilliant header past McCarthy from 12 yards. That is a fine goal that came out of nothing.
69 min If Chelsea lose this they will have taken 12 points from 12 league games this year: W3 D3 L6. That’s not ideal.
67 min “Magnificently childish ball-to-the-face from Hazard,” says Matt Dony. “It’s not big, it’s not clever, but it’s damn entertaining!”
Up with this sort of thing!
66 min Long, who has worked his sock off, leads another counter-attack that ends with an unpenalised backpass to Courtois.
66 min “Well thank god the damn dog woke me up early,” says Rachel Clifton. “But suffering through games like these sans booze is tough. 2-0 come on.”
What’s the earliest you’ve ever had a drink because of a football match? I remember having a few before work when England played Brazil at 7.30am during the 2002 World Cup.
65 min Bertrand is booked for blocking Azpilicueta’s attempt to take a throw-in.
64 min This scoreline doesn’t flatter Southampton one bit. Hazard is booked for throwing the ball into the cface of Hoedt.
61 min Chelsea make a double change: Pedro and Giroud replaces Zappacosta and Morata.
61 min That was such an accomplished finish. Cahill might feel he could have done better, with the ball sailing over his head, but it was a very difficult free-kick to deal with from the excellent Ward-Prowse.
Jan Bednarek has scored on his first Premier League start! A huge dipping free-kick from Ward-Prowse on the right cleared everyone and fell nicely at the far post for Bednarek, who controlled a sweet half-volley past Courtois from six yards!
59 min Another corner to Southampton on the left. Ward-Prowse’s big dipper is accidentally volleyed away from goal by the stretching Bednarek, who was off balance after a wrestle with Alonso.
57 min “What is wrong with Morata?” says Paul Neilan. “Should he not, at least, be playing for a move? My concern may be Fantasy Football-based concern but concern nonetheless.”
He’s sulking. He’s got a conspiracy complex. Some brilliant players just don’t take to English football and he’s another.
56 min Make that three good efforts. The corner is played short and worked to Willian, who curls low towards goal from inside the D. McCarthy sees it very late and does really well to get down to his left and save. The rebound comes to Hazard, who is offside.
55 min Two good efforts from Chelsea. Fabregas’s sizzling volley is blocked, and moments later Hazard squeezes a shot towards the near post that is pushed round by McCarthy.
54 min Long almost makes it 2-0 with a superb solo counter-attack. He ran behind the defence onto Hojbjerg’s long pass and seemed to be pushed over just outside the area by the covering Christensen. Long burst straight to his feet, moved the ball onto his left foot and mishit a shot that looped towards goal before being tipped over by Courtois.
49 min “Wait a minute, Mac Millings can’t bring himself to hate anyone in football anymore?” says Matt Dony. “So where does he get his enjoyment from? What’s the point of it all? My irrational/rational (delete as appropriate) hatred of Chelsea FC, Arsene Wenger, Fun-time Bobby Huth, Pep ‘Mes-Que-Un-Sanctimonious-Club’ Guardiola, and a whole host of other people I haven’t met and don’t really know is the main thing that keeps me going through a season.”
Hating others is for the young. You know you’ve grown up when you turn it all inward.
48 min Southampton win an early corner on the left. Ward-Prowse is one of the best set-piece takers in the league and this is another beauty. It dips wickedly onto the six-yard line, where there is a slightly strange block tackle between Yoshida and Courtois before the ball ricochets to safety.
47 min “Sir,” says Geoff James. “Those are formidable mental gymnastics to conclude that (i) Alonso was “clumsy”; and (ii) Dean didn’t see it.”
Thanks very much.
46 min Southampton begin the second half. AS IT STANDS they are out of the relegation places.
Antonio Conte has left the dressing-room early and is sitting alone on the bench. Oh dear.
Half time: Orkney 6-0 Bunillidh
Orkney are North Caledonian League champions for the first time!
Half-time business
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Southampton’s extra hunger was the difference betwen the sides for much of the first half - not least when Ryan Bertrand made the only goal for Dusan Tadic with an admirably determined run. Chelsea have been half asleep. See you in 10 minutes for the second half!
45+2 min “It would be a great shame if Southampton go down so I hope they win today,” says Kira Nelson. “A great club with a great academy. They have produced so many world class players and used to play such attractive attacking football. I remember the Southampton of a few years ago when they demolished Sunderland 8-0. Where has that Southampton gone? They just need the right manager to give them their mojo back, so they deserve the chance to set matters straight. Not to mention, where would Liverpool get their players from?”
I think your second question answered the first one.
45+1 min Three minutes of added time. Fabregas’s shot deflects just over the bar, and Christensen flicks a header wide from the resulting corner. It wasn’t much of a chance.
45 min In Alonso’s defence, I think the tackle was more clumsy than malicious - he had to jump over the grounded Fabregas and then couldn’t adjust his feet before his studs ploughed into Long. But it was a bad tackle and he should certainly have been booked.
44 min Ward-Prowse is booked for a vigilante foul on Alonso, who had just got away with a nasty tackle on Long. He jumped studs first into the back of Long’s leg. I don’t think Mike Dean saw it.
43 min Hojbjerg is penalised for a scissor tackle on Zappacosta, and then hoofs the ball into the crowd in frustration. Mike Dean books him for one or the other, I’m not sure which.
42 min A lovely, dipping free-kick from Ward-Prowse is headed wide by Yoshida, who was under pressure and couldn’t twist his neck enough to divert the ball towards goal. It was a decent chance.
40 min Southampton have been so much better since the goal, which gave them an intravenous injection of confidence. Chelsea are still dominating possession, but Southampton look more dangerous on the break.
39 min “If we win today (can hardly believe I’m daring to entertain the thought) then we have a small chance of staying up, that’s as far as I dare go,” says Arwen Verrall. “Somewhat out of the habit of dealing with the great escape years but how quickly it comes flooding back.”
If you need to win the last game at home to Manchester City, you should register Le Tissier. He would touch the ball twice in the first 89 minutes before roofing a matchwinning volley from 30 yards.
38 min Ward-Prowse’s smart snapshot from 20 yards is well saved by Courtois, sprawling to his right. He gets to his feet to save Tadic’s feeble follow-up, though that wouldn’t have counted as he was offside.
36 min Long moseys infield from the left, realises he has no relevant support and decides to shoot from 25 yards. It whistles a few yards wide.