There are some positives to be taken from this game, but not many, the biggest one was that a big crowd saw two vbirtual first teams play a pulsating game of football.
Perhaps the one thing that turned the game in Chelsea's favour was the lack of real pressure on them, I dont mean on the pitch but off it, in terms of priorities this competition isnt the highest at the moment so the combination of a virtual first side along with the lack of pressure meant that they could play with freedom and as jack Nicklaus once said "Any silly **** can do it without pressure"
But for a while it looked like the game might go Saints way, we played well in the early stages and when Jay Rodriguez opened the scoring with a goal that if scored by Rickie Lambert would have had many salivating it looked like a shock might be on the cards, but once Chelsea equalised the game was only going to go one way, although Saints were a touch unlucky to go in at the break a goal down and if they hadnt conceded right on the stroke of half time perhaps they might have been able to make a better game of it in the second half.
But when Ivanovic scored there third early in the second all hopes of a comeback where all but over and we just had to sit back and watch a Chelsea masterclass, the only time that Saints looked dangerous was when Steve De Ridder really should have scored when the ball dropped for him only three yards out, although in fairness the keeper made a great block.
Chelsea's support was superb and made a lot of noise although strangely they dont seem to be abusing Rafa Benitez these days.
A bad day at the office for Saints including the injury to Jose Fonte that accelerates the need to get in a quality centre half very quickly, certainly before we go into the match with Aston Villa next week, if all we are haggling over for Astori is a couple of million Euros and the player is as good as is said, lets just pay them and be damned, look what the hesitation over Alexander Buttner cost us.