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Jannik Vestergaard’s last-gasp draw stole the thunder of two goals from Timo Werner as Southampton battled for a 3-3 Premier League draw against Chelsea.
Defender Vestergaard shot home in second-half injury time as the Saints punished Chelsea’s lax defense with the recall. Kepa Arrizabalaga enduring one more day to forget.
‘Turbo Timo’ thought he had won the day by trading his Chelsea career to top speed, vindicating his £ 53 million transfer fee to open his Premier League account in style.
Chelsea was riding 2-0 after Werner’s double, only for Danny Ings and Che Adams to use glaring mistakes to tie the Saints at Stamford Bridge.
Kai Havertz then converted Werner’s clever tee-up to put Chelsea back in front, but Chelsea couldn’t hold out and defender Vestergaard forced a late draw.
Kepa’s last out-of-form shot proved costly, with Spain’s cap hitting the post as Adams scored his goal, and that’s after getting caught by Kurt Zouma’s shy back pass.
Chelsea would have provided an almost immediate lead on top of a turbulent afternoon, had it not been for Alex McCarthy’s clever keeper.
Ben Chilwell was worked in acres of space and drilled low to the corner after a stabilizing touch.
However, McCarthy lived up to the low effort and the Saints were unscathed.
Kepa conjured a good save to deny Adams after a smart pass from Walcott, but the Saints’ attacking forays were few and far between.
Werner quickly shoved the ball into the net, heading from a Chilwell cross, only to have the German striker denied it by the offside flag.
However, the forward could not be denied passage moments later, conjuring a sumptuous deflection of Chilwell’s clever pass to leave fighter Jan Bednarek for dead.
Werner then ran into the area, through the front of the goal and still found time to add a good shot.
Mailbox: Lampard out and reaction to Merseyside derby classic
For a first Premier League goal, this was something special, and fully in line with Chelsea’s expectations of their high-value summer signing.
Werner doubled his and Chelsea’s count just before half an hour, rushing toward Jorginho’s flyover and again catching Bednarek.
The former RB Leipzig player lowered his chest, hit McCarthy and then nodded towards the empty net.
Chelsea was right on cruise control at 2-0, only for Havertz to be pushed off the ball deep into his own half.
Saints seized the opportunity and the ever-clinician Ings finished well.
Chelsea turned 2-1 forward when it should have been clear by then, and a snapshot of Ings after the break could easily have seen the Saints level.
However, the ball flew down the wrong side of the stud, giving the Blues considerable breathing space.
The Saints finally leveled, with Adams shooting high at the net. However, Chelsea was only to blame.
😥 The failure of Kepa Arrizabalaga with Chelsea that ended in a goal for Southamptonpic.twitter.com/v4oCV4EJRe
– Sports Carousel (@carrusel) October 17, 2020
Zouma’s backward pass left Kepa stranded and the Spain keeper collided with the near post in the middle of a six-yard box pinball game.
Adams proved to be the smartest amid the chaos, holding onto the loose ball before punching in style.
Kepa’s chance at redemption only came so early due to Edouard Mendy’s thigh injury, and the 26-year-old will no doubt regret another missed opportunity to reassert his Stamford Bridge status.
The aggrieved Blues at least vented their clear frustrations in a swift move to regain the lead.
This time, Werner became a supplier, putting the Blues’ third on a layup for Havertz, who played home cleanly.
The Saints refused to let Chelsea slide to victory, with Adams firing wide after a clever play by Theo Walcott, who impressed in his first appearance with the Saints in nearly 15 years.
Kepa produced a good save to deny Ings, but Chelsea couldn’t find the strength to hold on.
After a half-clearance free throw, Vestergaard appeared with a low drive, which eluded everyone, to take down Chelsea and send the Saints into wild celebrations.
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