Ralph Hasenhuttl made just a couple of changes to his starting line up for the visit of Chelsea and after early pressure from the visitors Saints came from behind to put in a gritty performance and take all three points.

Would Ralph keep the same side or change things was the big question in the pubs before the game, the answer was he opted to play Romain Perraud a specialist left back in place of Djenepo and brought in Ibrahimo Diallo in place of Joe Aribo.

The first change was harsh on Djenepo who was excellent against Manchester United, but shrewd thinking, the second was also shrewd, it was never going to be a game that Saints would dominate, if we wanted to get something out of the game, it would always be about getting behind the ball, battling for it at every opportunity and working our socks off.

After all it was only back in April that Chelsea came to St Mary's and took a poor Saints side to the cleaners 6-0, the first task was to make sure that didn't happen again.

But for the first 25 minutes it was Chelsea who threatened the most, they almost caught us out on several occasions and finally did when Raheem Sterling scored at the second attempt, Chelsea's players arrogantly celebrated the goal, as did their fans who gleefully informed the home crowd they had won it all.

But this is a different Saints side from 4 months ago, it has spirit and it has players hungry to play the game, the goal seemed to galvanise the home side and indeed the home supporters, who had less than 5 minutes to wait to see their side score and it was a screamer from Romeo Lavia that got them out of their seats, from the stands it looked straight forward, but replays showed that it was a glorious curling shot that was far from easy to execute.

Now Saints were fighting, they scrapped and they battled and more to the point they niggled and upset the rhythm & composure of the Chelsea superstars, as the break approached you thought that we were good value to go in all square.

But the half wasn't finished yet and it was apt that Adam Armstrong would send us into the break in the lead a minute into stoppage time.

The striker has not had a good time at St Mary's since he arrived, indeed it looked like he would leave a month or so ago, but he has got into the side and deservedly kept his place, over the past few games he has been at the heart of a lot of our attacks and his work rate is formidable, in truth some have been slow to recognise this and give him praise, but with his goal last night it made a few wake up and notice that there is a lot more to his game than just goals.

Now Chelsea were riled, Jorginho was fuming that no action had been taken on Che Adams who had seemingly flicked a ball into his face whilst he was on the ground half way through the first half and he was still haranguing the ref as he went down the tunnel at half time, clearly Chelsea's players had lost composure and focus.

The second half would remain goalless, but it was Saints who would create the best chances, Elyounoussi should have scored with a free header and an overhead kick from the rebound and it looked like a third had been added when a header beat the keeper and appeared to be past Thiago Silva who flicked out a heel and somehow kept it out.

Even on the hour mark when Saints lost Lavia to a hamstring injury it didn't upset the performance, on came Joe Aribo, Saints reshuffled the central midfield three and it was business as usual.

Shortly afterwards Armando Broja returned to the St Mary's pitch, in truth he didn't do too much, a run that was pushed out of the danger area and a header that lacked power and was possibly going wide, although Gavin Bazunu made sure there were no embarrassing mistakes and made sure that it was to the left of his post.

Ralph made a couple of late subs, Romain Perraud had run himself into the ground and on came Djenepo with 17 minutes left and to break up the game on came Lyanco, this time in the back line and not up front with 4 minutes left.

We have seen late goals against Saints quite often, but not on this night, Saints kept their concentration and their shape to the final minute and St Mary's erupted on the final whistle.

This was a victory that showed some of the sceptics that over the summer we have quietly got on with things and rebuilt, not only the team but the coaching staff, it has been a learning curve for both, but slowly and game by game we have improved, but it is not only the new signings that have upped their game, some of those who have been here longer are benefitting from what is clearly a new spirit in the dressing room.

Jan Bednarek again sat out the whole game on the bench, he must have looked on and wondered why he wants to leave, undoubtably he is a good player, but has he really bought into the programme as they say, he had to sit and watch as a team came of age before him and he is not a part of it.

This was a team performance, three weeks ago there were so called leaked reports that Ralph Hasenhuttl had lost the dressing room, the games since then including this one clearly show this was not the case.

It is hard to single out individuals from last night, some like Gavin Bazunu just got on with their job and did what they did well, Armel Bella-Kotchap was immense and he seems to have revitalised Mohammed Salisu who looked jaded in the last third of the season, but not now.

Adam Armstrong for me was the second only to Bella-Kotchap and only by a thin margin, the striker not only capped his game with the winning goal, but his workrate is phenomenal, he never stopped and was at the heart of most attacks creating as well as having chances.

Ibrahima Diallo came in for his first start of the season, his only previous Premier League action being the last 15 minutes at Spurs, he battled and harassed and showed why he is a good squad player and on this performance potentially a first choice.

Every squad needs players who you don't notice because they just quietly get on and do their job, they don't hit 25 yard passes they just get the ball and lay it 10 yards to their own man, some would not have noticed Diallo last night, there were others who were doing the flashy stuff, but Diallo was where he was needed at the right moments.

These are just three performances, I could single out every player who saw action on the pitch, it was a night to enjoy, as someone said to me afterwards, "This is why we go to football, for nights like this"

But this is Southampton FC, this is not the start of a charge to the Premier League title or perhaps even the top 7 these days, but it is the start of a new era, I said yesterday that Ralph Hasenhuttl kept this club in the Premier League when he had no money, not just for players but for coaches, some disagree but he did a good job in the circumstances.

Given that situation, he deserves to show he is up to the task now the purse strings are loosened and he has experienced coaches to help him not just on the bench but the training ground, it seems that there is a new optimism running through this football club, it is time to enjoy it and not let the past drag us down, it has to be a clean sheet for everyone and then we can judge them on what they do this season and not what they have done in the past.

Moussa Djenepo is evidence of that, the opening 5 Premier league games has seen him contribute more to the club than in his previous 3 years, lets hope that continues and support him.

It will not always be nights like this, but we can have hope for this season, we have made some good signings, we might make another one or two in the next 24 hours or so, we have a team spirit and we have owners who have a vision for the club, all we need now is to accept that there will be bad days, but when they happen they hopefully will be just that and not bad runs.

Photo: Action Images

halftimeorange added 09:27 - Aug 31 Two negatives - one is Lavia's injury was partly caused by the delayed raising of his flag for a blatant offside by which time the youngster had pulled up. What a stupid rule that is. Someday a player will sustain a crippling injury due to it. Second - Che Adams had given his all and was running on empty for the last ten minutes. Why wasn't Mara used then? There were two breakaways which his sped might have converted into scoring chances. What a great team performance. I cannot compliment the scouting staff enough of this transfer window's finds. Those we've seen seem to be real gems. I fervently hope Lavia's hamstring issue is not too serious. He controlled the midfield for long periods of the game. So mature for eighteen years.

13

IanRC added 09:28 - Aug 31 Fantastic performance and good to see we have our sense of humour intact - Money Money Money inspired choice for the lap of honour. Che Adams too was incredible winning every header and holding up the ball brilliantly. In truth not a weakness on the pitch really. Only bad point was the Lavia injury, really hope he is not out for too long. Still only three PL games in September. COYS

8

kingolaf added 09:33 - Aug 31 I thought the same regarding Lavia’s injury. But a friend of mine who sits closer to that end told me he was hurt just before the offside move.
2

ThereIn76 added 09:35 - Aug 31 Good report Nick, agree with all you say. Ward-Prowse is looking like a different player. Last season he looked as though he was carrying the world on his shoulders, now he clearly has a lot more confidence in his team mates and gets forward more and looks the the penetrating pass rather than the safe one. Great to see. Gutted about Lavia's injury. Hope Romeu is kept now, he'll be needed.

8

HythePeer added 09:56 - Aug 31 3 points in a tough run.
3

Monksway added 10:05 - Aug 31 Really major changes from Saints. No more triangles and everything through midfield. Defenders who are aggressive and want to defend. Diallo and Lavia genuinely holding and JWP further forward in the Steven Davis role. CChe battling holding on to long balls and bringing others into play. Shame there is no place for Romeu but you could see why last night. Not so pretty to watch but more effective.

4

WestSussexSaint added 11:03 - Aug 31 When we looked at the first 5 fixtures I don’t think many fans would have predicted a return of 7 points. So in that context I looks like project squad reset is ahead of schedule. As a team it would be wrong to call out some performances over others as everyone on the pitch and in the dugout deserve full praise for last night. In some respects the performance was not dissimilar to the one against Man U except we took a couple of the chances presented last night. This shows the fine margins the team operate in and why having a natural goal scorer to work alongside Che Adams is a priority for the rest of this window. Good to see Diallo get game time but is was noticeable that it was he that was called. On to add a bit of defensive edge to the midfield and Romeu wasn’t even on the bench. This suggests Romeu is on his way but does Lavia’s injury put that on hold? The key thing now is to build on the momentum created in the last couple of matches. Wolves and Brentford are next and we should be targeting positive results against both. May hay while the sun shines as experience tells us there will be a lean patch at some point in the season.

3

landsdownsaint added 11:20 - Aug 31 Brilliant article . Someone in the pub said “ saints kids beat Chelsea superstars! This team we got here have so much energy, the second choice players like Moussa & AA have stepped up & maybe that’s why Perrraud performance was outstanding, lv never wanted too watch “journeyman latter twenty somethings on outrageous wages , this is what I want seeing kids developing into great players & even when they move on it’s still a good thing for our club, as Nick says we probably ain’t gonna be anywhere near the top but watching these new lads ads my bad is it

5

landsdownsaint added 11:26 - Aug 31 Very sad too say but Romeu is no replacement for Lavia & if he plays you’ll start seeing them triangles again
0

SaintPaulVW added 12:28 - Aug 31 Good report. Great performance from everyone although as a minor criticism, I wish we could hang onto the ball and run the clock down a bit at the end. We seem to win the ball and then just hand it back all the time. Exciting but very stressful! 7 points at the end of August is a good start. Hopefully we can go into September with confidence and look to build on that. Lavia's injury was the only hiccup. Although Diallo could really do with a run in the side. Hanging in to Romeu until Xmas might be an idea though. COYR

2

Block8 added 12:45 - Aug 31 Nice to see people singing the praises of Che & AA, many would have cheered their departures a few weeks back! It was an inspired move to play AA on the left of an attack which may be part of our new coaching set up. Brilliant result, nervous last 10 minutes and a hope that Lavia isn't out too long. COYR
6

highfield49 added 13:16 - Aug 31 So many positives to take from that performance and very noticeable that Salisu and Bella-Kotchap were animated, vocal and consistently organising the defence. Full credit to the new coaches who have not only lifted the team performance to a new level but also provide all the support that RH needs on the touchline. What a difference from last season when the coaches never moved from their seats and had nothing to offer tactically or vocally. Yet more inspired recruitment from the new owners.

7

ItchenNorth added 13:53 - Aug 31 In Ralph We Trust COYR
5

felly1 added 14:45 - Aug 31 Great performance last night, it's these moments that make it all worthwhile. Latvia and Kotchup look top class players. What a difference they have made. I just hope when their form dips, injuries (like last night to Lavia) we have the right replacements and tactics to overcome these obstacles. As Nick says poor performance and defeats are inevitable, the club just needs to learn from those horrible troughs of form we seemed to go into in the previous couple of seasons and make sure we get back on track much more quickly. Love to see some of the more negative posters who come on here add their views. I know some do but many just seem to slide away from view, almost waiting for a couple of defeats before emerging from their dark enclaves ready to lash Ralph for his failings again!

2

saintpete01 added 15:20 - Aug 31 In Ralph we trust 🤔 I think you’ll find the the assistants have a much Bigger input on team selection substitutions etc But if it works it works only time will tell
-4

pintsizedsaint added 15:55 - Aug 31 Great win last night, but I just wanted to come in on the Lavia issue. We’ve got a real talent there, but with inexperienced youth comes real danger of injury. Ralph looked gutted with himself in last nights post match conference, recognising it was too far to risk Romeo in two high intensity games in 3 days. I do hope long term target Maitland-Niles comes through. Such a talent and has been wasted at right back at Arsenal. He’s best as a central midfielder who can operate on the right too, and would be the perfect foil for developing Lavia. With those two in the centre, Saints would be in a great position. Would mean Romeu is likely to leave, and Diallo back as a squad player.

4

davidargyll added 17:49 - Aug 31 I’ve never given so many positives to all these comments, my fingers got tired! A couple of things I would add: 1. Ruben Selles was doing a huge amount of organising of the defence - specifically on Chelsea corners - from the touch line which certainly seemed to be hugely beneficial; our defence is so much more on the ball than it was. 2. JWP giving Armando Broja - who got a good round of applause when he came on - a massive hug at the end of the game was as touching as it was indicative of how much he is appreciated at st Mary’s. 3. The group hug by Ralph with ALL his coaching team - all grinning from ear to ear - at the end spoke volumes of a great team effort brilliantly executed. 4. If you were a Maitland-Niles or indeed any other young player, after a performance like last night, wouldn’t you think, “Sod the offers from other clubs, I want to play for the Saints…”? 5. If you think back to last season (and earlier), we were a really dull, unadventurous and timid team who were eternally running forward for a couple of yards, stopping and passing the ball sideways or backwards, to the accompaniment of groans from the fans. Now look at us, no longer are we guilty of being so boring, but even more interestingly, as that was what Chelsea never stopped doing last night, what does that say about them…?

4

saintpete01 added 22:40 - Aug 31 Ralph is being told what to do By his assistants and new coaching staff FACT It so far is working
-2

DellBoyWally added 01:39 - Sep 1 Just shows what a class manager can do when he's given the new bright shiny tools rather than the cheap shoddy imitations
-1

Peterx added 10:11 - Sep 1 I am glad we have stuck by Ralph. He seems to have taken some of the criticism on board about being to isolated & headstrong and developed into being more open with his coaches and part of a team, what more can we ask for. Still basking in the glow of this result days later. Just on Chelsea - they looked "old" and short of energy - and signing a player like Aubameyang who is not renowned for his energy will make them prey for other teams like Saints who are at it against them. I obviously don't care about them, but think they are making a mistake with the kind of players they are signing when they are blocking a Broja for example with that kind of signing.

0

DellBoyWally added 16:10 - Sep 1 Where Joe Egg????? LoL
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Sheffield United Polls