This was an excellent piece of defending.
After Courtois caught Maya Yoshida's header, the Chelsea goalkeeper wasted no time. In the next moment, he launched a long ball upfield.
The ball crossed the halfway line and landed perfectly at Moses' feet.
Another counterattacking opportunity presented itself.
When Moses gained possession, his next move relied heavily on his individual ability to break through the opposition's defense.
But.
Learning from earlier mistakes, Southampton's defensive players didn't hesitate to respond.
Midfielder Højbjerg rushed toward Moses and, without a second thought, used his strength to bring him down.
It was a clear foul.
The referee wasted no time, showing a yellow card to Højbjerg.
Although he received a booking, his foul effectively ended Chelsea's counterattack. It's important to note that Southampton had very few defenders in their backline at that moment.
Including Højbjerg, only three defensive players were positioned in Southampton's half.
In this context, the foul was a necessary decision.
From then on, Chelsea's players shifted their focus to controlling the game's tempo.
As the leading side, there was no reason for them to attack hastily.
Thus, Chelsea started passing the ball among their defenders and midfielders, gradually running down the clock.
Finally.
The first half came to an end.
The score between the two teams remained 2–1.
Chelsea, playing at home, maintained their lead going into halftime.
Undeniably, every Southampton player performed with great determination in the first half. However, in terms of individual skill, Southampton's squad couldn't match Chelsea's.
Even if Southampton were to lose tonight, it would be no surprise.
But!
As Southampton's manager, Pellegrino had no intention of conceding defeat.
During the halftime break, Pellegrino emphasized offensive tactics to his players.
He instructed Southampton's forwards to be more decisive and urged the entire team to tighten their defensive structure, ensuring Chelsea couldn't exploit counterattacks.
All in all, Pellegrino remained confident about his team's chances.
After all, Southampton had taken an early lead at the start of the match.
Fifteen minutes later, the second half resumed with tension in the air.
It was clear that both Chelsea and Southampton had adopted a more cautious approach compared to the first half.
For the first ten minutes of the second half, neither side dared to launch an aggressive attack.
Eventually, it was Chelsea who broke the stalemate.
In the 60th minute, Chelsea began to rely on Su Luo's individual brilliance to create pressure on Southampton's goal.
Undeniably, Su Luo's performance tonight had been nothing short of outstanding.
He consistently put the opposition's defense under pressure and contributed on the defensive end as well.
At this moment, Su Luo received the ball in midfield.
Despite Southampton's defenders being well-positioned, Su Luo delivered an incredibly precise pass in the next moment!
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