LONDON: Chelsea were held to a 3-3 draw by a spirited Southampton side who equalised in added time to earn a deserved point in a thriller on Saturday after Timo Werner had scored two early goals for the home side, his first in the Premier League.
Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard snatched a point after an injury-time free kick, glancing home Theo Walcott’s shot at the end of an entertaining and open game of fluctuating fortunes.
“I was confident we’d get another chance on the second-half performance. I was happy to get the chance and guide the ball in. On the second half performance, it was deserved,” Danish international defender Vestergaard said.
The draw left Chelsea in sixth place with eight points from five games, while Southampton are now 10th with seven.
Werner, who joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig in June, had lit up Stamford Bridge with a delightful dummied goal in the 15th minute and another in the 28th when he lobbed advancing keeper Alex McCarthy, then headed the ball into the empty goal.
“The first half we played very well,” Werner told BT Sport. “You have to think with a clear head. Southampton put a lot of pressure on us and pressed us high. We gave them too much in terms of opportunities.”
The Germany striker should have had a third in the 40th but blazed over and three minutes later Southampton pulled one back when Danny Ings rounded keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after Werner’s compatriot Kai Havertz lost the ball deep in the Chelsea half.
Saints kept up the pressure in the second half and equalised in the 57th after some shambolic home defending when Kurt Zouma misjudged a backpass and Kepa missed the ball, which Che Adams eventually slammed into the roof of the net.
Chelsea struck back immediately with a well worked effort, the ever-busy Werner crossing for Havertz to score his first Premier League goal with a simple tap-in, only for the visitors to snatch their last-gasp leveller through Vestergaard.
“We were dominant, had a lot of possession and showed good game management,” said Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhuettl.
“The goals we conceded were too easy, we know the quality and speed of Werner and Havertz. But we never stopped believing, made the equaliser and I think the point is deserved.”
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Written by Sandeep Sen
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