Chelsea 3-3 Southampton: 5 Talking Points as the Blues twice squander the lead in a six-goal thriller| Premier League 2020-21
An injury-time equaliser from Jannik Vestergaard secured a dramatic 3-3 draw for Southampton in a topsy-turvy Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Dane’s 92nd minute effort was just reward for a determined Southampton outfit who had been more than a match for the Blues throughout th game.
Frank Lampard’s men have reason to be disappointed at the final whistle as they twice squandered the lead in the game. A first-half brace from Timo Werner had given the home side a comfortbale 2-0 cushion, but Danny Ings halved the deficit for the away side just before the break.
Southampton landed a more formidable blow to Chelsea after the break when they were back on level terms courtesy Che Adams who capitalised on a defensive mix-up in the Chelsea backline.
However, the Blues retook the lead almost instantly, with Kai Havertz emulating his countryman Werner by breaking his Premier League duck to put his side 3-2 up less than two minutes after Adams' goal.
However, with time running out, the Saints managed to drag their way back into the match yet again. In the dying seconds of the game, Vestergaard got his head onto a scuffed shot from Southampton loanee Theo Walcott.
The result leaves both sides in the top half of the Premier League table, with the Blues in fifth and Southampton in tenth. However, the away side would be the happier with the result, given the time they spent chasing the game.
On that note, here are five major talking points from an absorbing tie at Stamford Bridge.
#1 Chelsea’s new signings make their mark
Chelsea were one of the most active clubs in the summer transfer window, making several notable additions to their ranks. As a result, there has been a lot of scrutiny on the club regarding how their new signings could fare in a new league.
With both Timo Werner and Kai Havertz having opened their accounts for the Blues in the Carabao Cup, the German duo bagged their first Premier League goals against Southampton as they look to get used to life in England. In fact, after scoring his first-half brace, Werner set up Havertz to help his compatriot open his Premier League account as well.
Chelsea (and Premier League) fans also got a first look of Hakim Ziyech who came on for Mason Mount in the final 20 minutes and showed flashes of his ability during his short cameo.
Another new Chelsea signing who has been amongst the goals is left-back Ben Chilwell who scored and assisted on his Premier League debut for the Blues against Crystal Palace and bagged another assist against the Saints as well.
#2 New faces in the Southampton ranks
Chelsea aren’t the only team to have made moves in the transfer market, with Southampton also featuring a couple of new faces in their roster.
One new arrival in the Southampton team who went straight into their playing-eleven was Theo Walcott. The former Arsenal player featured for the Saints as a 16-year-old before making his second Southampton debut as a 31-year-old.
The Englishman marked his return with a vital assist against Chelsea to cap off a busy performance with a telling contribution.
Besides Walcott, Frenchman Ibrahima Diallo also made his first Southampton appearance of the season after joining from Brest.