Southampton staged a second-half comeback to secure a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this evening.
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The Saints made a positive start to the game, but the home side soon began to dominate, Oscar and Ramires both having early efforts.
The deadlock was broken in the 24th minute when Demba Ba got his first Premier League goal for the Blues after Southampton had given the ball to Frank Lampard.
A dominant finish to the first half saw Chelsea double their advantage, Eden Hazard volleying the ball into the net having seen a similar move from Ramires hit the post seconds before.
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Chelsea continued to look strong after the break, but Southampton found a way back into the match and brought on some fresh legs in the form of Rickie Lambert.
The striker had an almost immediate impact, heading into the Chelsea goal to slash their lead in half after only three minutes on the pitch.
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Lampard had a chance to restore Chelsea's two-goal advantage with a free kick, but his effort sailed just wide of the post.
The miss proved costly three minutes later, as Jason Puncheon levelled the scores for the visitors, volleying a looping cross pass Petr Cech.
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Fernando Torres had the opportunity to score the winner for Rafael Benitez's side with only the keeper to beat, but he fired the ball wide.
The result means that neither side move up the Premier League table, with Chelsea remaining third and Southampton going a point clear of Newcastle in 15th.
Sian Cowper
