Chelsea fight back to sink Southampton

Captain Branislav Ivanovic headed an 89th-minute winner, as Chelsea came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 in Saturday's Premier League match at St Mary's.

Southampton came into the match as the Premier League's form team, with no goals conceded in winning five of their previous six matches.

And Ronald Koeman's side looked on course to extend their impressive recent run, when Ireland international striker Shane Long opened the scoring with a deft finish just before half-time following a mistimed Baba Rahman header.

But Southampton tired in the face of Chelsea's improved second-half showing, and Saints' goalkeeper Fraser Forster was finally beaten for the first time in 708 minutes of Premier League action when Cesc Fabregas netted an equaliser with a 75th-minute cross-shot that squirted into the far corner of his goal.

It came just moments after the home side were denied a penalty when Gary Cahill seemed to handle the ball when trying to cut off a run into the area by Southampton striker Charlie Austin, who was making his first start for his new side following his £4m January transfer window signing from QPR.

Ivanovic then secured the three points with an emphatic header from Willian's corner, as Chelsea extended their unbeaten Premier League run under interim manager Guus Hiddink to 11 matches.

Chelsea now lie in eleventh place, five points off the top six with 11 matches of the Premier League season remaining, while Southampton slip to seventh place following the defeat.

The Ireland international has speed of movement and football intelligence, but his goal record in spells at Reading, West Brom and Hull City hasn't been particularly convincing, with a one-in-four strike record in the Premier League. Last season, manager Ronald Koeman often started with Long on the bench, but the Dutchman has selected the 29-year-old to start the last 10 Premier League matches, and the Irishman has responded with five goals.

More than that, Long's pace provides an out ball for Koeman's 3-5-2 formation, when Oriol Romeu and Steven Davis look to transition from defence to attack. When Long limped off after 69 minutes with an injury, Koeman opted for the more physical presence of Graziano Pelle up front. The substitution allowed Chelsea to push forward without fear of being caught on the break, and the Premier League champions responded by netting twice in the final 15 minutes.

Romeu played 33 times for Chelsea but failed to make a real breakthrough at Stamford Bridge after suffering a serious knee cruciate injury in December 2012. But the 24-year-old, a product of Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, turned a few heads on Saturday with a hard-running, tackle-snapping performance against his former club. The Spaniard negated the threat of Eden Hazard and Willian, time and again making the first challenge when his side lost the ball, before eventually being overrun when Southampton tired in the final 20 minutes at St Mary's.

Southampton: Forster 6, Cedric 6, Van Dijk 6, Fonte 7, Bertrand 6,Clasie 7, Davis 7, Romeu 8, Targett, Long 7, Austin 6. Subs: Pelle 5, Mane 6, Ward-Prowse 6.

Chelsea: Courtois 7, Azpilicueta 6 Cahill 7, Ivanovic 7, Baba Rahman 5, Mikel 6, Fabregas 7, Pedro 6, Willian 7, Hazard 6, Diego Costa 6. Subs: Oscar 6, Kenedy 7, Matic 6.

27' – SAVE! Forster is down quickly to save an unconvincing Oscar effort from the edge of the area.

34' – A NEW RECORD! It's 667 minutes and counting since Fraser Forster last conceded a goal, a new Southampton record.

42' – GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Chelsea. Long clips the ball over Courtois from the right channel following Rahman's mistimed header 25 yards out. An outstanding finish from the Irishman.

71' - PENALTY SHOUT! Clasie and Davis cut off Willian, then Southampton break and the ball seems to hit Cahill's hands when Austin tries to control the ball in the Chelsea area. Ref Atkinson says no penalty.

75' - GOAL!Southampton 1-1 Chelsea. Fabregas' cross-shot from the left channel is missed by Forster, who is looking at the run from Hazard into the area. Van Dijk should really have blocked that run from Hazard, but the chance and break down the left came from Pelle conceding possession on the edge of the Chelsea area.

89' – GOAL! Southampton 1-2 Chelsea. Ivanovic gets away from van Dijk to thump a free header from Willian's corner past Forster. A captain's goal from the Chelsea skipper.

Southampton missed out on equalling their top-flight record of seven games without conceding, set in 2001, but Fraser Forster broke a Southampton goalkeeping record in the 34th minute when he beat Paul Jones' mark of 666 minutes without letting in a Premier League goal.

Chelsea are unbeaten in 11 league matches, with five wins and six draws, while interim manager Guus Hiddink has lost just one of his 23 Premier League matches over two spells in charge at Stamford Bridge.