04/11/2000  Southampton 3 Chelsea 2

When the irresistible force meets the movable object,
something eventually has to give.
 
And so it proved at The Dell, although it was not until deep into injury-time 
that Southampton striker James Beattie exposed Chelsea's problems away from home 
to the full with a spectacular winner.

Until then, the Blues had looked as though they would manage to make up for 
their defensive inadequacies of the first-half, when Beattie - with his first 
goal of the season - and then Jo Tessem had put Southampton ahead.

For the Blues showed commendable spirit to fight back through goals by Dennis 
Wise and Gus Poyet and looked set to take a point from the game.

That, however, was reckoning without Beattie's late 25-yard free-kick which 
flew past keeper Ed de Goey to secure what was only Southampton's second home 
win of the season.

Indeed, before this match, the Saints had won just four points at home all 
season and lost their three previous games at The Dell.

That appalling home record was, however, matched by Chelsea's failings away 
from home, which are now seriously threatening any pretensions which they have 
on a Champions League place let alone any title challenge.

It was - perhaps appropriately - April Fool's Day that the Blues last won away 
from home, apart from three visits to Wembley, and this was the 12th consecutive 
away game in which they had failed to secure victory.

The Blues had made four changes to the side which lost at Liverpool in the 
Worthington Cup but it was the absence of Marcel Desailly, who was reported to 
have a hamstring injury, which was the most crucial.

Emerging defender John Terry and Frank Leboeuf were exposed on several 
occasions by the home side in the first-half, when Southampton also tore the 
Blues apart on the flanks.

It was from the Southampton left wing that both goals came, with the first of 
them after just three minutes - their first in 318 minutes' play.

Matthew Oakley clipped the ball past Christian Panucci on the left flank to 
allow Wayne Bridge to race clear on the overlap before squaring a perfect cross 
for Beattie to sweep the ball into the net from close range.

When Dean Richards later headed just wide from a corner when unmarked, Chelsea 
merely responded by offering the Saints an even clearer opportunity which Tessem 
seized soon afterwards on 36 minutes.

Bridge's low free-kick caused panic in the penalty area and as the Chelsea 
defenders stood and watched the ball, Tessem reacted first to bundle a shot home 
from just a couple of yards out.

Chris Marsden slammed a drive against the post soon afterwards but it was 
Chelsea who dominated the second-half as they attempted to get back into the 
game.

It was only when Gianfranco Zola, who is the one figure that can make Chelsea 
come alive offensively, started to escape the shackles of Southampton's close 
attentions that they really started to threaten though.

At first, Southampton, for whom Dean Richards and Wayne Bridge performed 
admirably in defence while Chris Marsden and Tahar El Khalej battled bravely in 
central midfield, held on.

Keeper Paul Jones, who had little to do in the first-half, tipped a drive by 
Sam dalla Bona over the bar, while Poyet struck the bar and Jimmy Floyd 
Hasselbaink's free-kick flew narrowly wide.

Just like flood defences under constant pressure, however, the Saints defence 
finally gave way as Zola's cross was flicked on by Poyet and Wise raced through 
to bundle the ball home on 68 minutes.

Then, just nine minutes later, Zola again provided the creative touch as he 
crossed for Poyet to power a header past Jones.

That seemed to be it, especially when Terry cleared Tessem's late header off 
the line, until Beattie stepped up with just a minute left to make his indelible 
mark.