Chelsea came from a goal down to defeat Southampton 2-1 at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday.
The Saints hit the front thanks to Shane Long's composed finish in the 42nd minute which came from a horror defensive header from Baba Rahman.
But the Blues ended the south coast outfit's run of six matches without conceding when Cesc Fabregas' attempted cross for Eden Hazard evaded Fraser Forster, who had gone over 700 minutes without letting in a goal, in the 75th minute.
Guus Hiddink's men then edged ahead of compatriot Ronald Koeman's side in the final minute of regular time when Branislav Ivanovic leapt above his marker to head home Willian's out-swinging corner.
The victory sees Chelsea move up to 11th on the table with Southampton dropping to seventh.
MATCH OVERVIEW
Southampton: 1 (Shane Long 42')
Chelsea: 2 (Cesc Fabregas 75', Branislav Ivanovic 89')
St Mary's Stadium, Southampton - 31,688
TALKING POINTS
- Southampton were still tough to break down for 75 minutes. Does Koeman have one of the measliest defences in the league or have they had some luck over the past six matches?
- Chelsea in fine form under Hiddink. Is a top-five finish out of the question?
WHAT'S NEXT?
Southampton remain in the south coast to take on Bournemouth on Tuesday night as Chelsea get set to head to relegation-threatened Norwich City on the same day.
TWITTER INSIGHT
Great team effort and a great win against a tough opponent!! #CFCpic.twitter.com/bKrYHIrZRS
— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) February 27, 2016
Great come back! We keep going! Gran remontada! Vamos a más! C'mon @ChelseaFC#CFC#KTBFFHpic.twitter.com/TTIJkLehW5
— César Azpilicueta (@CesarAzpi) February 27, 2016
Our good streak has ended but on Tuesday we have a good chance to redeem ourselves. Many thanks for your support! pic.twitter.com/twCuI6EibZ
— Oriol Romeu (@OriolRomeu) February 27, 2016
Disappointed with the result! Time to pick ourselves up and get ready for Tuesday #WeMarchOn#saintsfc
— Matt targett (@Mattytargett) February 27, 2016
QUOTES CORNER
Southampton boss Koeman on the result after his side were not awarded a penalty at 1-0:
"If you get a penalty, and make it 2-0... these are important decisions, but at the end of the season you get some situations that help you and others that don't. I don't complain about the referee or the linesman's performance."
Chelsea's Hiddink on his side's reaction:
"I don't know what the 'old Chelsea' was, but the Chelsea we want to see is one that reacts when there is a setback. We like to be pro-active and show the desire is huge to turn a result from negative to positive. The players must respond, and they did."
STATS SPECIALS
*Thanks to Opta
2 - Southampton's Shane Long has scored in back to back PL games for first time since February 2014 (for Hull). Sharp.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 27, 2016
10 - Southampton join Chelsea in having been ahead in a PL-high 10 home games in 2015-16. Surprise.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 27, 2016
708 - Fraser Forster has finally let in a goal in the Premier League this season, after 708 minutes of play. Breached.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 27, 2016
2 - Chelsea have won back to back Premier League games for the first time this season. Champions.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 27, 2016
128 - Cesc Fabregas made 128 passes against Southampton, the most of any player in a Premier League game this season. Busy.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 27, 2016
