26/12/1999  Southampton 1 Chelsea 2
 
Chelsea now know the recipe for success away from the 
Champions' League back in the bread and butter of the 
Premiership - start with 11 overseas players.

Today was the first time an English league side have 
fielded a starting line-up without a single British 
player.

Graeme Le Saux was injured; Chris Sutton had flu, and 
Dennis Wise - whose wife was due to give birth - was also 
absent at Southampton.

With Jody Morris starting on the bench alongside three 
other promising English youngsters - Jon Harley finally make 
it on with 14 minutes left and Morris making a brief cameo 
appearance - it was a depressing indictment on the domestic 
game.

Yet the Blues fans were not complaining too much after the 
foreign legion managed to do what no other Chelsea line-up has 
done for three months - win away from home in the 
Premiership.

What is more, for all the transparent inadequacies of their 
opponents Southampton, Chelsea did it by showing the 
supposedly British virtues of hard work, guts and 
determination as Tore Andre Flo struck twice in the first half 
to arrest his team's recent Premiership slide.

For the record, Chelsea's starting line-up featured a 
Dutchman in goal, Spanish and Nigerian full-backs, a Brazilian 
and Frenchman in central defence, a midfield from Italy, 
Uruguay, France and Romania, with a Norwegian up front 
supported by an Italian winger.

Whatever their nationalities - and boss Gianluca Vialli 
will merely insist that he puts out the strongest possible 
side and that his hand was forced by injury and illness - they 
certainly outplayed Southampton.

The home side lacked the passionate fighting qualities 
which made The Dell something of a fortress last season until 
the final 10 minutes after Kevin Davies had pulled a goal back 
- his first since returning to the south coast earlier this 
season.

But by then it was too late for a real comeback to be 
launched, and Chelsea came through despite having been without 
not only Sutton, Wise and Le Saux but also Gianfranco Zola 
with flu and Marcel Desailly through injury.

Flo was mainly up front on his own with Gustavo Poyet - who 
sustained a serious knee injury in this game exactly a year 
ago - pushing forward to support him from midfield.

Defender Emerson Thome was also making his debut, yet the 
biggest roar from the home crowd was reserved for the return 
of Matt Le Tissier to the starting line-up for the first time 
in two months after he returned to leave the club if he was 
not picked before Christmas.

After Poyet had escaped appeals for handball and Frank 
Leboeuf - sent off for the second time this season against 
Leeds last weekend - had become the first player to be booked 
in a chaotic opening few minutes, Le Tissier almost made an 
immediate mark.

Chelsea goalkeeper Ed De Goey needlessly conceded a 
free-kick by carrying the ball outside his area while 
attempting to punt it clear, and Le Tissier cannoned his 
dead-ball effort against the underside of the bar before it 
rebounded to safety.

However, just five minutes later, Chelsea were ahead when 
Flo capped a wonderful flowing move of one-touch football 
which ripped the appalling marking of the Saints defenders to 
shreds.

Gabriele Ambrosetti, Dan Petrescu and Didier Deschamps were 
involved early on before Poyet took up possession and he then 
played in Flo to steer an angled shot past goalkeeper Paul 
Jones.

The goal destroyed any momentum which the home side had 
been building up, and Chelsea soon came close to going further 
ahead as Celestine Babayaro thundered a volley against the bar 
and Petrescu headed just wide.

Poyet was doing especially well as the fulcrum of the side 
in his more advanced midfield role, while Deschamps was 
imposing himself alongside him and Southampton's passing 
simply did not come up to scratch.

Chelsea duly went 2-0 ahead two minutes before the break 
when Deschamps' through-ball put Flo clean through, with the 
home side's frantic appeals for offside falling on deaf 
ears.

The Norwegian international kept his composure and, as 
Jones dived at his feet, he simply flicked the ball over the 
goalkeeper's body and into the net.

Southampton briefly rallied after the break following a 
double substitution, with De Goey pushing a shot from Le 
Tissier around the post while Trond Soltvedt was unable to 
capitalise from close range when Francis Benali headed 
dangerously towards the goalline.

However, Flo came even closer when he struck the upright 
with a drive from Ambrosetti's pass before Davies' strike with 
10 minutes left - a poacher's header after a Le Tissier 
free-kick was not properly cleared - sparked a late 
flurry.

It was not enough to secure a draw, though, and Chelsea 
came through to secure a rare three points.