Graham Potter's torrid start as Chelsea head coach plumbed new lows after James Ward-Prowse's superb free-kick earned managerless Southampton a shock 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge
Ward-Prowse dealt the decisive blow in first-half stoppage time with his 17th successfully converted free-kick as he closes in on David Beckham's record of 18 in the Premier League
Pressure is mounting on Potter, who witnessed his side improve during the second period but fail to breach a stubborn Saints rearguard under interim boss Ruben Selles
 Substitute Conor Gallagher was denied by Gavin Bazunu's outstretched fingertips deep into stoppage time
Southampton remain bottom of the Premier League but this result will provide their survival hopes with a timely shot in the arm as Selles provided the perfect audition to be appointed the permanent successor to Nathan Jones
Chelsea's attack was strengthened in January, but the Blues have now only scored twice in their last six games and stay 10th in the table, 10 points off the top four ahead of Newcastle's encounter with Liverpool later on Saturday, live onPrior to the game, Potter refused to blame bad luck for Chelsea's struggles in front of goal despite seeing his team score just twice in their previous five matches
Only Crystal Palace in the Premier League's top 12 have scored fewer goals than Potter's side, with the lack of a recognised striker again made achingly clear as they drew a blank in Borussia Dortmund, their seventh scoreless outing in 12 games
A cutting edge remained conspicuously absent during the first half on Saturday, where Southampton deservedly established a lead
 Benoit Badiashile was caught in possession inside three minutes as Kamaldeen Sulemana's shot was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga before Kalidou Koulibaly cleared Stuart Armstrong's shot off the line
Chelsea had just half chances to reflect on at the break as Cesar Azpilicueta shot wide from David Datro Fofana's lay-off after Noni Madueke had tested the gloves of Bazunu - but the visitors drew first blood on the stroke of half-time through a familiar source
It is now 17 Premier League free-kick goals for Ward-Prowse, who licked his lips after Azpilicueta had fouled Stuart Armstrong 25 yards out
 Kepa had no chance as Ward-Prowse curled his shot over the wall and into the net, sparking boos at the interval from the home supporters
Potter made a double change as Raheem Sterling and Wesley Fofana replaced the abject Koulibaly and David Datro Fofana
 Sterling had an instant impact as his cross from the left narrowly evaded the leap of Mason Mount before his deflected effort veered narrowly wide
But Saints continued to absorb Chelsea's best efforts as Mykhailo Mudryk and Kai Havertz were next to be summoned off the bench after the hour-mark
 It did not take long for the substitutes to combine as Sterling borrowed the ball off Havertz, bamboozled Romeo Lavia before combining again with Havertz down the right only to see his shot blocked brilliantly by Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Sterling was looking to the skies once more when his header from Havertz's cross was brilliantly kept off the line by Romain Perraud before Lavia was back to deny him on the rebound
 A lengthy stoppage of 10 minutes would only build the tension among the home fans following a nasty blow to the head of Azpilicueta, who was carried off on a stretcher
Saints sprung on the counter as Theo Walcott's low cross was met by fellow replacement Adam Armstrong but his shot was kept out by Kepa
 Gallagher wriggled free inside the Saints box to belatedly test Bazunu but after Mudryk volleyed wide, Southampton could toast an unlikely victory
"After a 1-0 defeat at home, any criticism you get is understandable
 We've had a tough period and lots of challenges in terms of integrating young players in the Premier League
 When you don't get results, it can be tough
 That's how it is
 Some people will think I'm the problem
"I don't think they're right but that doesn't mean they can't articulate their views
 We took a step back in terms of our performance in the first half
 The response in the second half was good but not good enough
"On the absence of Aubameyang, Potter added: "I would tell him to keep doing what he's doing
 We made the decision to give David his opportunity with Raheem and Kai off the bench
 When you don't score, I can understand the question [why was Aubameyang not on the bench]
"When asked if he was still the man for the job, and asked to explain the delay to speak to the media, Potter said: "There's no conspiracy
 Sorry, I can't give you that
 I always come in and speak to you guys and understand the questions
 When we've lost 1-0 at home to Southampton, it isn't good enough because of the results we've had recently
""It was a fantastic performance from the team
 We moved liked a unit
 We had a solid plan so I'm happy we gave ourselves the chance to win the game and to perform
 We knew we would have a few moments in the game
 It has been a very difficult year for us
 You could see the reaction from the players after the blocks so I'm very happy for them
"I identified with the principles that were there before
 It's not about the manager so we used a lot of what was there
 The players then put it together with the details we gave them
"First of all, I am a manager [when asked if he is ready to step up and become manager]
 But the second thing, it is not for me [to decide]
 We showed what we can do after a fantastic result
 I don't think too much about it [the relegation picture]
 It's about our performance and how good we can be
 Now, we're focused on Leeds
 All I know is that if a team beats us, they will have to be very good as we will make it very hard
"We're a team that shows character and spirit
 It was more about the result today as we showed a performance and a standard that we must now continue
 In order to become a winner in life, first of all you need to lose and to learn from your losses
 It is a process
 We don't know what will come next but we will now do all our best to win next week
"The boys just threw me in! The game is about the players
 I didn't want to lead them [the celebrations]
 I just wanted to say thank you to the fans for their support
""At Chelsea, we are having to adopt a different criteria now as every sign of progress has to be welcomed
 On Saturday, there could be little for the ever-positive Potter to cling to
 Just more signs of players who are yet to come to terms with one another and a manager still trying to work out how to best use them
"Twenty-one shots against Dortmund but no goals
 Seventeen shots against Southampton, who had failed to keep a clean sheet since October, but no goals
 Potter has bleated on about there being 'steps forward' but it is no wonder such repeated utterances are starting to grate on supporters
"This is turning into a disastrous 2023 for him and for Chelsea, despite £315m spent in January
 There was a 25-minute period at West Ham where the Fernandez-Mudryk-Felix trident combination purred but they collectively wilted after conceding
"That lack of character was on display in hostile surroundings at the Signal Iduna Park in midweek, however, where Chelsea in fact got better after falling behind
 So we are still working out what to make of this brand new club, almost sculpted overnight and in mid-season