London // Chelsea ended with a mass of pressure, raining in shots on Fraser Forster’s goal.
Their fans could probably go home believing they had been unfortunate not to win and, up to a point, probably be right.
Yet for almost half the game, from taking an 11th-minute lead until the moment about 10 minutes into the second half when the late surge began, Chelsea were distinctly second-best, looking weary and listless.
If Manchester City had any consistency, if Arsenal had made a better start, there would be a sense the title race was alive again. As it is, Chelsea, disappointed as they were by the result, ended the weekend with a larger lead than they began it.
“One perspective is a draw at home to Southampton is not a good result,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. “I have this feeling. But the second perspective is we had a lead of five points and now we have a lead of six points with one game less to play. I’m not jumping with happiness and I’m not crying with disappointment.”
As if issuing a challenge to the players who so disappointed against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, Mourinho made only one change, Willian coming in for Ramires.
When his side took an the lead, Diego Costa heading in a Branislav Ivanovic cross, the move seemed justified. The stadium as a whole almost perceptibly relaxed, but as on Wednesday, as soon as the game seemed won, Chelsea looked vulnerable.
There was a warning as Dusan Tadic pulled back a cross for Sadio Mane, whose shot from the edge of the box was saved by Thibaut Courtois, even before the equaliser arrived from a Tadic penalty after Mane was tripped by Nemanja Matic.
Mourinho, after making a point of saying his “opinion is not important”, said the incident was “a penalty that is not a penalty”. Asked about what may have been a penalty when Tadic trod on Ivanovic’s heel, Mourinho asked his press officer to “control” him.
“We started well,” Mourinho said. “I think the penalty changed the rest of the first half. The players felt it and we stopped playing, made a few mistakes and they scared us with a couple of dangerous counter-attacks.”
Southampton unsettled Chelsea on the break, the pace of Mane and Shane Long, preferred to the slower Graziano Pelle, repeatedly threatening to get in behind John Terry and Gary Cahill. Matic, who has looked the most tired of a fatigued side, was so out of sorts he was taken off eight minutes into the second half after a foul on Mane that could have earned him a second yellow.
“From the moment Ramires came on, we killed their counter-attack and after that we had complete control of the game,” Mourinho said.
His arrival signalled an improvement in Chelsea’s play as they began to press with far more intensity. Costa turned a Willian shot against the post, Fraser Forster made a string of fine saves and then, in injury time, Loic Remy and John Terry had shots blocked in the six-yard box.
It was frantic and lacking in finesse, but the final half-hour showed a side with the will to fight. There was desire and determination and, against sides less well-organised than Southampton, that may be enough. Given the deficiencies of the opposition, even a draw may be enough.
This may be a wobble, but it will take more than that to create a title race.
sports@thenational.ae
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if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
More on animal trafficking
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
