Chelsea woes continue as Ward-Prowse fires Southampton to vital victory

Southampton did not look like the team with a caretaker in charge. Liberated after bringing their brief, tortured relationship with Nathan Jones to an end, the Premier League’s bottom side turned up at Stamford Bridge, found Graham Potter in a muddle and left with the points after punishing Chelsea’s complacency with a beautiful free-kick from James Ward-Prowse.

Chelsea, drifting in 10th place after winning two of their past 14 games, could not complain about luck. January’s big spenders got what they deserved for picking a team that would have been more suitable for the early rounds of the Carabao Cup. There was no cohesion and ultimately this was a performance to test the insistence that Chelsea are building under Potter, who felt the pressure on him rising after Southampton held on for a win masterminded by their energetic interim manager, Rubén Sellés.

It has been a while since Southampton, who remain three points off 17th place, have shown this much spirit and organisation. Yet while Sellés celebrated after passing his first audition for the job, this was an embarrassment for Chelsea. The loud boos at full time were inevitable. “Get out, Potter!” one fan shouted.

Perhaps it was not a surprise that Chelsea never hit their stride. They made six changes after losing to Borussia Dortmund and there was an intriguing look to Potter’s lineup: an Argentinian world champion here, a raw 20-year-old from Molde up front, Benoît Badiashile and Kalidou Koulibaly partnering each other in central defence for the first time.

The result was a messy start, with the absence of Thiago Silva and Reece James unsettling the defence. Southampton were hungrier, Sellés driving his team on with a constant barrage of instructions, and there was