01/01/2002  Chelsea 2 Southampton 4
 
New Year, same old Chelsea. Just as the Blues looked to 
have finally turned the corner under Claudio Ranieri, 
Southampton exposed all of their inherent failings at Stamford 
Bridge.

Try as they might to find greater consistency, Chelsea 
remain the team with the worryingly soft underbelly who are 
still prone to capitulating against weaker teams.

First it was Blackburn drawing at Stamford Bridge to a 
chorus of boos. Then it was Charlton winning 1-0 just after 
Chelsea had triumphed at Old Trafford.

And now, fresh from wins against Liverpool and Newcastle, 
Chelsea have collapsed again despite leading 2-1 at half-time 
as their previously rock-steady defence crumbled away without 
trace.

Having taken the decision not to restore fit-again Marcel 
Desailly to the side, Ranieri saw his team concede three goals 
for the first time this season after changing a winning team 
at half-time.

Marian Pahars and Chris Marsden added to James Beattie's 
early opener and then Beattie struck again to confirm a result 
which undermines any claims Chelsea may have had towards a 
title challenge.

All credit to a valiant and accomplished Southampton side, 
however, especially with their character in coming back from a 
half-time deficit.

While they beat Tottenham on Boxing Day, Gordon Strachan's 
side had endured a recent mauling by Manchester United and a 
last-minute defeat by Leeds.

However, there were just seven minutes gone at Stamford 
Bridge when Beattie put them ahead with a superb 35-yard 
free-kick.

There looked little real sign of danger when John Terry 
fouled Pahars but Beattie struck the ball over the wall with 
tremendous power and accuracy as it curled into the top 
corner.

Chelsea were soon back in contention as Jimmy Floyd 
Hasselbaink met Graeme Le Saux's cross with a flicked header 
that goalkeeper Paul Jones could only parry as far as Eidur 
Gudjohnsen, who bundled the ball home.

Hasselbaink twice came close to giving Chelsea the 
advantage as Le Saux was allowed too much space down the left 
flank, but the game increasingly became a crowded midfield 
battle.

Then there was astonishment when referee Eddie Wolstenholme 
took the recent crackdown on diving to a ludicrous new level 
as he booked Le Saux for falling over at full pace.

Maybe that just woke Chelsea out of their slumber as 
Gudjohnsen this time turned provider for Hasselbaink as the 
Dutchman just held his run to beat the offside trap and finish 
with aplomb.

They have now scored 29 goals between them already this 
season, but it was in defence that Chelsea suffered as they 
were taken apart on the break in the second-half.

Ranieri tinkered with his line-up at half-time again, 
replacing Mario Stanic with Slavisa Jokanovic and moving Frank 
Lampard to the right side of midfield.

Nine minutes later, they were duly pegged back.

Chelsea appealed for a free-kick when Sam dalla Bona went 
sprawling but referee Wolstenholme, who was doing little to 
endear himself to the home crowd, waved play on.

Defender Paul Williams reacted first by immediately 
spraying a 40-yard pass into the path of Pahars, who beat 
England hopeful Terry for pace and clipped his finish past 
Cudicini.

Less than 10 minutes later, Southampton's fearless 
endeavour was further rewarded as Frank Lampard could only 
flick on Paul Telfer's corner and Marsden arrived unmarked to 
head past Cudicini.

If that was not bad enough for Chelsea, there was worse to 
follow. For Pahars then delivered a searching cross and 
Beattie was left unattended to volley home from the edge of 
the six-yard box.

Chelsea inevitably piled on the late pressure, with 
Hasselbaink, Lampard and Le Saux all threatening, while 
Gianfranco Zola and Mikael Forssell were now on.

However, there was never any real conviction about the home 
side as they meekly crumbled to defeat, with Terry's late 
booking, his fifth of the season, meaning a one-match ban.

It is back to the drawing-board again for Ranieri now.