Chelsea vs Southampton Timeline & H2H Stats

Although Chelsea and Southampton are both ‘Southern’ teams, there isn’t the same sort of rivalry between them as there is between other teams from the South. If you want a rivalry with a bit more spark to it, for example, then you can look at the one between Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace or the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The truth is that Southampton haven’t really enjoyed enough success to cause Chelsea any issues, with the club’s only major historical success being the FA Cup win in the 1975-1976 season, in which they defeated Manchester United for the trophy.

They did meet in the cup the following season when Saints were defending their title, with the initial match ending in a draw and Southampton winning the replay 3-0. There is something about these two teams and the FA Cup. When they met for the first time it was in that famous competition, with the first four meetings between Chelsea and Southampton all being in the FA Cup thanks to two different replays. Saints knocked Chelsea out both times, doing the same in 1977 and 1981. In fact, it took until 2013 for the Blues to enjoy a win over the South coast team, winning 5-1 in the January of that year having won it the year before.

A Thorn in Chelsea’s Side

Even if you only look at the silverware that both teams won pre-Roman Abramovich’s arrival in English football, Chelsea were more successful than Southampton. The Blues won the top-flight in 1955, two Second Divisions and three FA Cups, as well as a pair of League Cups. Saints, meanwhile, enjoyed that solitary FA Cup victory and then a number of ‘runners-up’ medals. Even so, the South coast club were able to be a constant thorn in the side of Chelsea, not overly afraid to turn up at Stamford Bridge and leave with all three points on numerous occasions. That first happened in 1926, then again two years later.

There were also a couple of occasions when Southampton won by a decent margin, such as their 6-2 win at the Bridge in the September of 1967. Chelsea avenged that scoreline a few months later when they travelled to the South coast and won 5-3, but in just over a year they had lost 5-0 at the same venue. Whether it be a 4-1 home loss in 1975, the cup exit two years later or a 4-2 defeat at home in 2002, Southampton have been able to act as something of a thorn in Chelsea’s side repeatedly over the years. The Blues can look to a period of 15 games between 2016 and 2022 when they only dropped points four times as something of a recompense.

Chelsea’s Full Match History Against Southampton