Chelsea suffered another heavy blow in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Graham Potter’s team lost 0-1 at home against Southampton. The match winner was James Ward-Prowse, who scored the only goal from a free kick just before half time. Due to the defeat, Chelsea have already waited five games for a win. In the Premier League, the previous three games ended in a draw. The Blues are now tenth with 31 points from 23 games. Southampton is creeping towards number nineteen Leeds United and is still one point behind.
The duel at Stamford Bridge was preceded by a minute of applause for the deceased Christian Atsu. The attacker, who wore the shirt of the Blues, died as a result of the devastating earthquake in Turkey. The first big chance then came from the foot of Kamaldeen Sulemana. The attacker, who was recruited this winter, seemed to put Southampton 0-1, but saw Kepa Arrizabalaga make a formidable save. A header from Paul Onuachu also just missed the target. César Azpilicueta fired on the enemy goal on behalf of Chelsea, but his attempt went wide.
James Ward Prowse ?? free kicks
The midfielder has now scored 17 times from direct free kicks in the Premier League. He is one goal away from tying Beckham’s record https://t.co/1m71p5tDQP#ViaplaySportNL #ViaplayFootball pic.twitter.com/KmRBJkGi2M
— Viaplay Sport Netherlands (@viaplaysportnl) February 18, 2023
On the stroke of half-time, Chelsea was still given a huge blow by Ward-Prowse. The midfielder was allowed to moor his specialty more than twenty meters from the goal and placed the ball very skillfully in the left corner: 0-1. Chelsea then had plenty of good chances, but failed to beat Gavin Bazunu. The best opportunity came from the foot of substitute Raheem Sterling twenty minutes from time, but his effort was twice cleared off the line by a Southampton player.
Fifteen minutes before the end, the game came to a standstill for a long time, when Azpilicueta was hit hard on the head after a bicycle kick by Sékou Mara. The Chelsea defender lay motionless on the ground for several minutes and had to be treated by medical staff. Finally, after ten minutes, the captain was carried off the field by stretcher to loud applause. An examination in the hospital must show how serious the damage is. Despite twelve minutes of injury time, the home team failed to force an equalizer in the remainder of the game.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 23 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 54 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 52 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 23 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 46 |
| 4 | Newcastle United | 22 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 22 | 41 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 39 |
| 6 | Fulham | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 38 |
| 7 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 35 |
| 8 | Brentford | 23 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 35 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 31 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 23 | 8 | 4 | 11 | -10 | 28 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | -10 | 26 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | -20 | 25 |
| 14 | Leicester City | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | -2 | 24 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton W. | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | -15 | 23 |
| 16 | Everton | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -13 | 21 |
| 17 | AFC Bournemouth | 23 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -23 | 21 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | -8 | 20 |
| 19 | Leeds United | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -11 | 19 |
| 20 | Southampton | 23 | 5 | 3 | 15 | -21 | 18 |