The Blues were deservedly beaten at St Mary’s despite taking the lead through Raheem Sterling. Afterwards Thomas Tuchel put the outcome down to a lack of mentality from his side, something he admitted he didn’t like using as a reason for a defeat because it can’t be proven by the data, but the stats do at least show how we struggled to deal with the setback of conceding again.

Prior to Southampton’s equaliser in the 28th minute we had five attempts on goal, one converted by Sterling, and another three-on-one break that did not materialise into a shot.

After Romeo Lavia drew the hosts level with the third goal we have conceded from a set-piece this season, we mustered just five more shots all game, none in the period between the two Saints goals, and just one on target in the entire second half.

In fact, it was our hosts who came closest to scoring the game’s fourth goal, creating two big chances which Marc Cucurella and Thiago Silva cleared off the line.

The Blues didn’t lack for possession, having two-thirds of it overall and 71 per cent in the second half, but turning our dominance of the ball into meaningful efforts has proven beyond us in the two games we have gone behind in this season.

Saints to sinners

It means we have now lost back-to-back away league games for the first time since December 2020, when Everton and Arsenal beat us.

Our early-season form on the road is in stark contrast to our overall performance last term, when we lost just three of our 19 away games in the Premier League. We have already let in five goals on the road, nearly half as many as we conceded in the entirety of 2020/21 (11).

Our next league trip is in 10 days' time to Fulham, who have picked up seven points from a possible nine at home and scored at least twice in each game, including against Liverpool on the opening day, so the Blues will have to deliver a 90-minute performance to emerge victorious.

Our nine-game unbeaten run at St Mary’s is over as we succumbed to a second defeat at the stadium Southampton opened in 2001. Both have been by a 2-1 margin.

The Saints’ third league win in 17 games was just their second in their past nine home fixtures, but one they merited on the balance of play.