Southampton 2-1 Chelsea: Lavia and Armstrong cancel out Sterling opener to hand Blues defeat

Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat against Southampton after Raheem Sterling opened the scoring on the south coast.

Raheem Sterling put Chelsea ahead after 23 minutes, scoring after a pull-back from Mason Mount as the Blues took charge of the match in the early stages.

However, Romeo Lavia equalised just five minutes later with a strike from outside the box.

On the brink of half-time, Adam Armstrong fired the Saints in front from inside the Chelsea box.

Raheem Sterling opens the scoring for Chelsea against Southampton. (Alamy)

Chelsea started the first half as the better side and were put ahead by Sterling on the 23rd minute.

Off the back of his brace against Leicester, the 27-year-old did brilliantly as Mount picked him out with a cross.

The winger picked the ball up before delaying his shot and turning home into the bottom left, past Gavin Bazunu.

However, Chelsea's lead did not last long as Lavia netted his first goal for the Saints since his arrival from Manchester City.

Romeo Lavia netted an equaliser for Southampton against Chelsea. (Alamy)

The midfielder fired low past Edouard Mendy, who was unsighted by those infront of him as Southampton equalised.

It went from bad to worse for the Blues, with Southampton taking the lead into half-time.

Armstrong was given far too much time and space in the box to fire into the roof of the net and see the hosts go into the half with a 2-1 lead.

Mateo Kovacic replaced Ruben Loftus-Cheek at half-time, adding to Chelsea's injury worries as N'Golo Kante is out for at least four weeks.

The Saints should have double their lead in the early stages of the second period, but Marc Cucurella did brilliantly to block a sure goal, diving infront to deny a header from close range.

Chelsea looked flat in attack in the second half as Southampton began to dominate with the ball, controlling the tempo of the game.

Jorginho unhappy with the referee at half time vs Southampton. (Alamy)

Thomas Tuchel made a triple change, with Kai Havertz, Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho being replaced by Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja and Christian Pulisic as the Blues looked to change their fortunes at St Mary's.

Thiago Silva saved Chelsea from going 3-1 down, once again, clearing a Mohammed Salisu header off the goal line.

Broja came close to netting, connecting with a Sterling cross before being denied.

Despite their attempts, Chelsea fell to a 2-1 defeat on the south coast.

Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Southampton, Football

Nick Emms

Digital Content Editor for Absolute Chelsea. Multimedia Sports Journalism Graduate. Experience: Charlton Athletic.

@NJEmms