Tuesday night's trip to St Mary's is not one Chelsea will want to remember. The sunshine of April and six goals never felt further away than when Chelsea laboured into late attacks with little sense they were truly going to trouble Southampton's net.
Romeo Lavia and Armstrong's goals earned the Saints a 2-1 win and it was another occasion this term where Chelsea could not claim to deserve more from the game despite their possession. Players, fans and Thomas Tuchel were all clearly frustrated following the game.
The German coach didn't mince his words when assessing the performance. He said: "I don't have the answer to every question now so quickly after the match. But obviously, we are not tough enough to win these matches at the moment, away. It's a bit the same story like in Leeds.
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"In Leeds, we thought the problem was that we did not score in the first 20, 25 minutes. They put us off balance with two goals in two minutes, and we could not find answers.
"Today we scored, so we thought everything was okay, but one set piece again, one sloppy defending again, and we are off balance. And today, we did not react to it; we were lucky not to concede the third goal. We were not tough enough as a team to react or to push it over the line for us."
On many occasions, it may have felt there was little to see but football.london takes a brief look at the moments you may have missed.
Jorginho's fury
It was a difficult outing for the Italian midfielder, who was exposed in moments by Southampton, as the home side took the lead in the first half on the south coast. The former Napoli star struggled to keep up with play in the build up to the Saints' second goal of the game and saw his frustration come to a head at the halfway mark of the match.
Jorginho ensured referee Michael Oliver knew of his displeasure come half-time, having seen Che Adams kick the ball into his face after the midfielder earned a free kick on the verge of the break. The veteran was fuming that no action had been taken on Adams following the incident and saw Cesar Azpilicueta separate him from Oliver, though the Blues' captain looked just as unimpressed.
The match official saw Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva come to question his decision too as the teams made their way off the pitch, with each Chelsea star looking deeply frustrated.
Armando Broja's friends
Chelsea's striker returned to the location of his 2021/22 season-long loan and it was quickly present how well-liked he was. In his first outing to warm up during the first half, the crowd quickly showed Broja their appreciation. The young forward was clapped as he made his way along the sideline, and spent time catching up with the Saints cohort also preparing themselves.
The Cobham product eventually got onto the pitch for the final half hour of the night and brought some energy to the forward line that Chelsea lacked overall on the night. Broja may find himself in contention for the Blues next match against West Ham, with the forward line continuing to struggle despite Raheem Sterling adding to his tally for the season.
Cesar Azpilicueta comforts Mason Mount
The final whistle understandably saw firmly contrasting reactions from Chelsea and Southampton. Ralph Hasenhüttl's side found themselves overtaking Chelsea in the Premier League table following their win, albeit having recorded the same points after five matches. The Blues were left with many questions and frustrations at the culmination of the game, which saw Christian Pulisic head straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the away supporters. Another figure who looked particularly disappointed was Mount. The aftermath saw the midfielder appear desolate, and captain Azpilicueta, who had been subbed earlier, looked to comfort him with a hand on the head.
Todd Boehly in attendance
The Chelsea co-owner made the trip to the south coast, seemingly with some of his board colleagues. With the prospect of still signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Wesley Fofana and more rumours emerging all of the time, who wouldn't pay a penny for the American businessman's thoughts on Tuesday night. There would have been little to reassure him.
Between injury and suspension, Chelsea lacked bodies for the game against Southampton, with some players perhaps not even been considered despite having a place in the squad in Ethan Ampadu and Billy Gilmour. When asked if more players were need in the transfer window, Tuchel simply lamented the small number of players he had available in training and likened the situation to Chelsea's winter period last term.
When it was offered, that the turbulence of the last six months at Chelsea could be an issue, Tuchel suggested he did not want to provide his group with excuses but once again highlighted the importance of passing deadline day to ensure he has full commitment from his players moving forward.
He said: "Maybe, maybe. But the line is so thin between excuses and explanations, so I better not go down this road because I don't want to give any chance for anybody – myself, staff players – any room for excuses. We need to find solutions. What will help is the closing of the transfer window.
"We will know then who has the full commitment, what we demand, what role everybody needs to play and fulfil. And then everybody, including myself, needs to step up to a new level of performance because these are ok performances, not a disaster, but they are ok and ok can never be enough for us."
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