WHEN ALL ELSE fails there is always Southampton.
And so Chelsea, decimated and dishevelled in early 2025, were granted 90 minutes in the company of the Premier League equivalent of The Samaritans.
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Just one hour and a half session and Enzo Maresca and his players emerged rejuvenated and believing life is good again.
Pre-match protests aimed at the board’s management of the club and a stuttering season gave way to a resounding win and climbing back into the top four and the prospect of Champions League football next term.
It may only be temporary with a batch of games on Wednesday but after the run of results Chelsea have endured of late they will seize on any crumb of self-confidence.
And one thing that hopeless Southampton are good at is making even the most uncertain opponents feel like world champions.
Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Levi Colwill had three points wrapped up by half time.
And following a run of just two wins in the previous ten Premier League games, shocking defeats against Brighton and chucking away the lead at Aston Villa last weekend, this felt like a change in the air – much like the subtle approach of Spring time at this time of year.
It wasn’t text book. It came against a backdrop of angry fans outside the ground, nervous ones inside and even resentment of the way Chelsea are playing.
The players dilly-dallied when the crowd wanted to see some old-fashioned boot through the ball and they let them know it.
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There remains a sense that more hardcore supporters are not buying into the project of buying young players at vast expense and sitting around to wait for success to come.
A knot of them gathered at the stadium gates to voice their discontent before kick off.
While not large in number, the blue smoke bombs and chanting made a point.
They were calling for their Chelsea back, where just before Christmas they were singing about having their Chelsea back.
When they beat Brentford on December 15 to move second in the table it was all Christmas festivity and winter sparkle.
Just a couple of months later and the world seems wonky as they scramble to keep pace with the top teams.
Yet Chelsea remain favourites to win a European trophy this season – albeit the third-rate Conference League.
That’s something even if it’s taken a billion quid spent on the squad to get there.
Try being one of the 3,000 Southampton supporters who must have trooped past that gaggle of mardiness wondering what all the fuss is about.
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The bottom team are plummeting headlong back to the Championship a season after coming up to the top flight via the Play Offs.
And that was a year after they finished bottom of the Premier League in 2023.
Not even Hamley’s make yoyos as big as Southampton Football Club.
Yet the gallows humour of the visiting fans was in stark contrast to Chelsea’s demo brigade parading banners digging out co-chairman Todd Boehly over his involvement in the Vivid Seats ticket resale website. Fair dos.
But they also sang for former managers Thomas Tuchel, long departed Jose Mourinho and even sanctioned former chairman Roman Abramovich.
These are confusing times at Chelsea on and off the pitch.
Team selection is also a guessing game. Fragile skipper Reece James on the bench having played 90 minutes at the weekend.
Neto up front in the absence of a fit striker eventually giving way to rookie Tyrique George.
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The fans would argue there is little they recognise about their Chelsea at the moment.
And it looked that way when Southampton bagged the first meaningful chance of the game when Paul Onuachu belted a powerful shot over the bar from inside the box on 14 minutes.
It didn’t seriously test keeper Filip Jorgensen but it was closer than anything the home side had produced in the opening spell as they struggled to find a pattern of play.
The lack of confidence was picked up by the crowd who groaned as their team dithered in front of its own goal, with Jorgensen and his defenders determined to build from the back when the fans called for more route one stuff.
When Chelsea got their breakthrough against the worst team in the division it was a characteristically muddled moment.
A 24th minute corner was headed on by Tosin and Nkunku battled shoulder to shoulder with Will Smallbone at the far post.
It’s still debatable who actually got the last touch before the ball was bundled over the line.
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Number two which arrived 12 minutes later was far more slick and underlined how Chelsea were finally growing in confidence despite Cole Palmer and Fernandez having missed glaring chances.
It was handed to them on a plate when Saints’ midfielder Flynn Downes passed directly to Marc Cucurella with the Chelsea defender then feeding Nkunku through the middle.
Neto drifted to his left, picked up the pass and was ruthless in his finish through the gloves of Aaron Ramsdale.
Centre half Colwill made it 3-0 a minute before the break with a powerful downward header onto Neto’s curling free kick from deep.
Cucurella made it 4-0 with 12 minutes to go – with teenager George claiming the assist.
But there was no goal for Palmer, with the England star’s drought now extended to seven matches.
And the visibly frustrated ex-City maestro has not even registered an assist since December 1.
