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

Having difficulty against Southampton but the goal in first half injury time helped Conte and his team win 1-0.

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

This victory helps Chelsea equal the number of points with Man Utd 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 skillful attackers, Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro, played creatively but were ineffective in finishing. However, the reigning 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 kick 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 chances, 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 had the Southampton goalkeeper beat once when his run from the left into the box unexpectedly caused danger due to the failure of two away players to block it. 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 fired a shot between Forster's legs across an 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 proper striker affected the home team's ability to finish 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 were put under pressure by Southampton in the second half, with Charlie Austin coming on for Manolo Gabbiadini. However, Southampton's attacking prowess was not enough to breach Chelsea's defence and they had to endure a fifth consecutive match without a win.

According to VNE