Chelsea take three points thanks to Marcos Alonso's free-kick

Having difficulty against Southampton but a goal in first half injury time helped Conte's team win 1-0.

Alonso's perfect strike helped Chelsea win despite not having the best performance. Photo: MailOnline.

This victory helped Chelsea equal the number of points with Man Utd 38 before the "Red Devils" visit West Brom on the evening of December 17. Meanwhile, Southampton is stuck in 12th place with 18 points after 18 matches. This is Chelsea's eighth win in the last 10 matches.

On a day when striker Alvaro Morata did not start, Chelsea's three technically gifted attackers, Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro, played creatively but were ineffective in finishing. However, the Premier League champions showed their mettle by defending their victory by the minimum margin after taking the lead thanks to a moment of brilliance from Marcos Alonso.

The Spanish defender executed a perfect free-kick, sending the ball in an arc, over the wall and into the bottom corner. The shot went just wide of the post, leaving one of the Premier League's best goalkeepers, Fraser Forster, helpless.

Forster blocks Cesc Fabregas' shot. Photo: Reuters.

Apart from this situation, Forster repeatedly denied Chelsea players opportunities, including two shots with his weaker right foot in the area in front of the penalty area from N'golo Kante and Alonso. When Morata came on, the former Celtic goalkeeper also blocked a shot from this striker from a tight angle.

In the first half, Pedro beat the Southampton goalkeeper once when his run from the left into the box unexpectedly caused danger when two of the visitors failed to block it decisively. The former Barca player's shot hit the foot of an opposing defender and changed direction but the ball hit the post and bounced out.

Fabregas had a shot go between Forster's legs and across the empty Southampton goal late in the second half, but no Chelsea player was there to take advantage.

Willian, who has been in good form recently, was given a starting position. Photo: Chelsea FC.

Chelsea had 24 shots to their opponents' six and showed class by pushing Southampton's five-man defence deep. However, the lack of a true centre-forward affected the hosts' ability to finish off attacks. Conte did not use Michy Batshuayi, instead leaving the opposition penalty area to Hazard.

Having failed to find a way to extend their lead, Chelsea came under pressure from Southampton in the second half, with Charlie Austin coming on for Manolo Gabbiadini. However, Southampton's attacking power was not enough to penetrate Chelsea's defence and they had to endure a fifth consecutive match without a win.

According to VNE