New Year, same old Chelsea. Their fans may wonder whether they drank so much on Monday night that they were not seeing the scoreboard straight, but deep down they will feel little surprise. Slip-ups against lesser opponents have undermined this club and a poor performance against Southampton suggested 2002 will be no different.
That this deserved defeat came three days after a 2-1 win at Newcastle was maddeningly familiar for the supporters. One step forward followed by a great leap back. From 2-1 up and set fair at half-time, Claudio Ranieri's team disintegrated during 20 second-half minutes in the face of the attacking skills of James Beattie and Marian Pahars, supplemented from midfield by Chris Marsden.
Beattie finished with two fine goals, an early free-kick and a well-taken volley that put Southampton 4-2 up. From there Chelsea could find no way back.
Yet to concentrate solely on Chelsea's failings would be unfair on Southampton, whose second-half display was not that of relegation candidates. At the back Paul Williams was outstanding; in attack they were slicker.
They had posed few problems from open play during an error-strewn first half, but all that changed when Pahars made it 2-2 in the 55th minute. With the Latvian causing problems with his pace through the middle and on the right flank, Southampton frequently carved Chelsea apart.
Typically, after falling behind to Beattie's 35-yard free-kick, Chelsea relied heavily on Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to haul them back. The pair obliged, Gudjohnsen tapping in after Hasselbaink's header was saved and Hasselbaink taking advantage of poor marking by Claus Lundekvam to score from his strike partner's pass.
Pahars's equaliser came from a long pass out of defence by Williams, with the striker too quick for John Terry and too accurate for Carlo Cudicini. Less than 10 minutes later a Paul Telfer corner was inadvertently flicked on by Lampard, allowing Marsden to head in. Then, from Pahars's cross, Beattie volleyed in left-footed.
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Terry, Gallas, Babayaro (Zola 67), Lampard, Stanic (Jokanovic 45), Dalla Bona (Forssell 84), Le Saux, Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen. Subs Not Used: de Goey, Ferrer. Booked: Le Saux, Terry. Goals: Gudjohnsen 20, Hasselbaink 45.
SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Dodd, Lundekvam, Williams, Bridge, Telfer, Delap, Svensson, Marsden, Pahars (Ormerod 82), Beattie. Subs Not Used: Moss, El Khalej, Petrescu, Fernandes. Booked: Dodd. Goals: Beattie 7, Pahars 55, Marsden 64, Beattie 73.
Referee: E Wolstenholme (Blackburn).
