Chelsea 1-1 Southampton: Life is not a dream.

Fabregas watched in disappointment as his team's opportunity slipped away. Photo: Reuters.

After being eliminated from the Champions League by PSG mid-week, Jose Mourinho was eagerly anticipating the start of the Premier League the following day. He wanted to secure all three points against Southampton, both to ease his disappointment and to take another step closer to the championship. But life isn't always a dream.

Playing far better than their opponents, especially in the second half, creating a series of clear-cut scoring opportunities, the blue-shirted strikers were unable to beat goalkeeper Forster, apart from Diego Costa's opening goal.

Manager Jose Mourinho could also complain about the refereeing in this match. Branislav Ivanovic was stepped on the heel by an opposing player, causing him to fall inside the penalty area, but Chelsea were denied a penalty. Dusan Tadic's equalizer was also controversial. Nemanja Matic touched the ball before fouling a Southampton player inside the box, but referee Mike Dean still awarded a penalty to the visitors.

Although they couldn't secure the desired victory, a point against Southampton was still a satisfying result for Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge side are now six points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and have played one fewer game. The championship remains within reach for Mourinho's team.

Concerns had been raised about Chelsea's fitness ahead of the match. Ten of the eleven players who started against PSG also started against Southampton. The majority of them were also players who had been playing regularly throughout the season. Fatigue was inevitable. The fitness issues were evident in the first half as Chelsea's midfield repeatedly lost possession, allowing Southampton to dominate. Fortunately for Chelsea, Thibaut Courtois remained consistent, keeping a clean sheet.

In the second half, the scenario reversed. Ramires came on, and Mourinho's admonition in the dressing room made the Chelsea players perform more effectively. The second half was therefore completely dominated by Chelsea. The Blues unleashed 17 shots after the break, compared to just five before. Under pressure from the home team, Ronald Koeman's players had no choice but to retreat into deep defense.

After a cautious start, Chelsea increased the tempo and opened the scoring in the 11th minute. Eden Hazard advanced into the penalty area and passed to the wing. Ivanovic crossed the ball perfectly to Costa, who was waiting and easily headed it into the net from close range, leaving goalkeeper Forster rooted to the spot. Costa then had a series of close-range shots but failed to score a second goal. On one occasion, his volley hit the post.

The home fans' joy was short-lived. In the 19th minute, Dusan Tadic leveled the score with a penalty. Controversy erupted over the accuracy of the penalty decision. Chelsea's media team even took to the club's Twitter account to criticize referee Mike Dean.

The situation that led to the controversial penalty. Photo: Reuters.

Chelsea started to increase the pace after the break. The ball was mostly in Southampton's half. In the final minutes of the match, even 10 of the visiting team's players retreated to their own half, forming a concrete wall to prevent Chelsea's attacks.

Cuadrado and Remy were brought on to increase the pressure. The frustration intensified in injury time, when Chelsea's strikers unleashed three consecutive shots but the ball still couldn't find the net. Goalkeeper Forster and Southampton defenders blocked the first two shots, while the third shot went wide. The visitors' goal thus remained intact until the end of the match.

According to VNE