Perhaps these are the sort of afternoons that Jose Mourinho professed to miss so much during his absence from the Premier League. As the wind and rain whipped off the south coast with unrelenting force, it was Mourinho who stood tall amid the storm and masterminded his side to a fourth league victory in five.
The sides were evenly-matched in an entertaining first-half and it was not until Mourinho made two key changes that the game took a dramatic turn.
Oscar and Willian, both introduced on 53 minutes, played integral roles as Chelsea secured an emphatic win that had at one stage appeared unlikely.
Oscar, booked for diving soon after his introduction, saw a cross on the hour eventually fall into the path of Fernando Torres who opened the scoring, before finding Willian on the edge of the area for the second.
Oscar added a third with eight minutes remaining, putting the gloss on a result that keeps up the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.
Despite the atrocious conditions, both sides were accomplished on the ball and did not resort to an aerial bombardment of the opposition area. Chelsea dominated in the opening 20 minutes, Fernando Torres darting inside off the left flank to beat two men before firing over, yet Southampton's cohesive attack soon clicked into gear.
Adam Lallana saw a shot well blocked by Ashley Cole, who shortly afterwards was beaten all ends up by the right-back Calum Chambers, before Gaston Ramirez drifted a fine ball over the top for Jay Rodriguez which the striker could not quite control.
Chelsea cranked up the pressure after half-time, with Oscar replacing Juan Mata and Willian coming on for Schurrle, and it was Oscar's introduction that proved most influential.
Having only been on the pitch for three minutes, the Brazilian was slipped through one-on-one by Eden Hazard and knocked the ball past Davis before tumbling to the turf. Martin Atkinson blew his whistle and initially the Chelsea supporters behind Davis's goal roared with delight, until the referee pointed his arm in the opposite direction and booked Oscar for diving, with the attacker allowing his leg to make contact with the goalkeeper before going to ground.
Oscar did, however, play an integral part in Torres's goal soon later. The substitute received the ball on the left and struck a deflected cross that looped over Davis and on to the foot of his left-hand post, rebounding back to Torres who finished with his head.
It was 2-0 11 minutes later, with Oscar again making a contribution. Yet while Torres' finish was a simple one, Willian's was a piece of quality, shifting the ball out of his feet from just outside the box and shooting low into the bottom corner.
Oscar put the seal on an emphatic second-half in the closing stages by firing low past Davis following a looping pass from Torres.
via Football: Chelsea | theguardian.com http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/01/southampton-chelsea-premier-league
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