Chelsea secured three points thanks to a free-kick goal from Marcos Alonso.

Despite facing difficulties against Southampton, a goal in first-half stoppage time secured a 1-0 victory for Conte's side.

Alonso's perfect strike secured the victory for Chelsea despite not having their best performance. Photo: MailOnline.

This victory puts Chelsea level on points with Man Utd at 38 before the Red Devils visit West Brom on the evening of December 17th. Meanwhile, Southampton remain in 12th place with 18 points after 18 matches. This is Chelsea's eighth win in their last 10 games.

On a day when striker Alvaro Morata didn't start, Chelsea's three technically gifted attackers – Eden Hazard, Willian, and Pedro – played creatively but lacked effectiveness in finishing. However, the reigning Premier League champions showed their resilience by defending their narrow victory 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 of the net. The shot went just wide of the post, leaving one of the Premier League's best save-making goalkeepers, Fraser Forster, helpless.

Forster saves a shot from Cesc Fabregas. Photo: Reuters.

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

In the first half, Pedro once beat the Southampton goalkeeper when his run from the left wing into the penalty area unexpectedly created danger as two of the visiting team's players failed to make a decisive tackle. The former Barca player's shot deflected off an opposing defender's leg, changing direction, but the ball hit the post and bounced out.

Fabregas had a shot that went between Forster's legs, sending the ball across Southampton's empty net late in the second half. However, no Chelsea player was there to capitalize on the opportunity.

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

Chelsea unleashed 24 shots compared to their opponents' 6 and demonstrated their class by pushing Southampton's five-man defense deep. However, the lack of a true center forward affected the home team's ability to finish their attacks. Conte did not use Michy Batshuayi, instead entrusting the opponent's penalty area to Hazard.

Unable to find a second goal to extend their lead, Chelsea came under pressure from Southampton in the latter half of the second half, after Charlie Austin replaced Manolo Gabbiadini. However, Southampton's attacking prowess was not enough to break through Chelsea's defense, and they endured their fifth consecutive match without a win.

According to VNE