In a game that first went one way and then the other as Saints came through a tough test with their pride intact to earn a hard fought point and keep up the challenge for the top six.

Saints came from behind to control the first half and put Chelsea on the back foot for much of it and then survived a second half battering to hold on and prevent Chelsea getting their usual three points at home

Ronald Koeman again made several key changes with Toby Alderweireld coming into the centre of defence at the expense of Yoshida and Pellet being rested and Shane Long coming in, the Saints tactics were clear, hold it tight at the back and go at them with pace.

Initially though it didn't go our way, Chelsea caught us napping at the back after 10 minutes and it looked like it might be a long afternoon, however the goal seemed to wake Saints up and on 19 minutes the visitors were level with Mane being brought down in the box and Tadic stayed cool to net the penalty.

From then on the rest of the half was controlled by Saints and they had chances to take the lead, the whole team was putting in a shift and doing there job, Alderweireld's return gave the defence a more solid look at both Bertrand and Coyne looked to be getting forward FA more than they have in recent weeks.

In midfield Wanyama and Schneiderlin anchored with Davis continually harassing and chasing.

Up front Shane Long does what he does well, he battled and chased and Mane was a continual threat, but the fact is we couldn't add to the scoreline and you had the feeling that we might pay the price in the 2nd half for not taking an opportunity or two.

Five minutes into the second half and Chelsea were looking to get on top and enjoyed a period of dominance, but Saints stuck to their task, no one hid and everyone run their socks off to make sure that Chelsea didn't get a second, Fraser Forster pulled off a few decent saves when the home side did get sight of goal.

Again Koeman made substitutions at the right time bringing on fresh legs in the closing period.

It cannot be denied that Saints had to ride their luck at times, but you make your own luck and ours held because we never gave up running and when we got the ball we never gave up trying to play the ball rather than hoof it aimlessly.

Even at the death it was tense and Chelsea had three efforts in quick succession when they really should have scored from one of them, but Saints had come a long way and were not going to give the game up that easily.

It was a point well earned and gives Saints renewed confidence for the final nine Ames of the season, this was a point that we hadn't counted on and puts us 8 points clear of Stoke in 8th, this is a big gap to make up at this stage of the season another win and that could see us virtually guaranteed of 7th place.

But we want more than that and the next few games will be crucial with our rivals playing each other and having to drop points, we really have the opportunity to make the last 9 games something special and given our performance this afternoon at Stamford Bridge we should Ave every confidence in our own ability to achieve at least a top six finish and perhaps something more.

Photo: Action Images

corkcitysaint added 16:54 - Mar 15 A gutsy performance and delighted with our play and point. Yes, we were lucky at times but fully deserved a point. I think today shows how we need Toby to stay. He's calm, composed and always seems in control. I think Fonte needs a player like that beside him. I felt today we ran at their defence with pace and was a much more encouraging display. I though Mane was great today. Credit to Forster also for some great saves. I still think he is better at reactionary stopping than your more mundane saves. Overall, a great team display. Even Clyne seemed to play better. Maybe trying to impress Jose… My heart was in my mouth when Tadic stepped up to take the penalty..

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halftimeorange added 20:20 - Mar 15 We have twice held one of the best and most expensively assembled teams in Europe to a 1-1 draw. I don't think we can ask much more than that. Chelsea obviously didn't put ten men behind the ball but in our remaining nine fixures only Spurs and Man City are likely to let us actually play. We still need to ensure we can unlock closed doors. Playing Mane in a more attacking central position has to be a gimme. He was the difference against Palace and today Chelsea could only foul him to stop him. He is a real gem.

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schatfield added 08:28 - Mar 16 Twas a great game. Very open, end to end stuff. Forster made some stunning saves in the 2nd half (I was able to see close up, as was sat on my hands in the home end). Mane played well. Having Toby back was great, and he played well (If we can keep him alone this summer, I will be very happy). I also had heart in mouth when Tadic stepped up for the pen. Long, sorry to say, I didnt think he did that much.

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ExiledSupporter added 11:55 - Mar 16 Fantastic example of how much better we have got, even when pushed back (and admittedly our passing was less good in the second half under intense pressure) we battled convincingly and refused to concede. RK has changed the whole attitude of the team, now we believe in ourselves in a way that we never really did in the past, well before last season. Two things though, for such a tall man Forster doesn't come off his line enough to take crosses in his six yard area and I think Costa's goal was an example of this recurring problem, but it was also down to poor marking. Second, perhaps we should play Pelle and Mane up front in a 4-4-2 formation, Pelle's ability to knock the ball down to deep runners might pay off more frequently with Mane on his shoulder. The latter has so many clever flicks and touches and speed that he looks likely to become a fantastic player. Nick, so many typos in this last report, had you been celebrating the performance a little too enthusiastically?

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ExiledSupporter added 12:18 - Mar 16 Forgot to mention, no sign of Elia on the bench...any views about that?
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Whatsforpud added 12:18 - Mar 16 Agree with ExiledSupporter about Forster. Had a good 2nd half, but should have tried to catch or punch the cross for the goal. Otherwise, can't remember him having to make a save in the first half. Over the season the defence has been so strong ( partly as they have been well protected by Schneiderlin and Wanyama) that in many matches, Forster has had little to do. Perhaps the most underworked keeper in the league. Overall, another good performance against the best in the league.

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GeordieSaint added 12:39 - Mar 16 Some great performances, Mane is really dangerous and could be a fantastic player next season. Koeman really got the tactical switch right to cause JT and Cahil problems. If we were 3 1 up at half time that would probably have been fair. Lucky in the second half but Matic should have gone, ref had his hand in his pocket until he realised he had already booked the lad. Schneiderlin has become one of the most complete midfielders in the league, better than anyone Chelsea had, immense.

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BoondockSaint added 12:45 - Mar 16 Agree with CorkCity and others: Forster makes better saves when he isn't given a chance to think about it. Disagree with Nick: "..Long does what he does well." ? Run about a bit and not score? Other teams are on to him and are not bothered when he comes down the wing. Mane is a different story, they put two men on him and take the foul when necessary. Tadic was very nearly stopped on the penalty. We need someone to practice powered it into the net.

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davepid added 12:46 - Mar 16 Good game for us and boosted our reputation after the tarnishing it got in February. Despite his saves yesterday, Forster is not worth ten million , though his save at QPR was outstanding. The point yesterday means mathetically we can finish no lower than 18 th spot. Becausec Sunderland and Burnley would need to win all their remaining games by an average margin of five goals more per game than us then I think it's safe to say we can finish no lower than 16 th. Having said that, I'm still predicting third. COYR.

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saintwizzler added 13:28 - Mar 16 Tadic playing on the left at long last 👍
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bstokesaint added 19:27 - Mar 16 I totally disagree with the negative Forster comments. There were 3 defenders who were also culpable for the Chelsea goal, by not picking up Costa's run. In the second half Forster made some quality stops, many at close range. I'd also like to take the opportunity to disagree with the Long bashing. It's no coincidence that we looked far more threatening upfront with the running of Long and Mane, instead of using Pelle as a hold-up front man. Long changes games. He's not banging in goals, but his running and workrate bothered Chelsea more than Pelle has been. I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's display.

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cheltenhamsaint added 21:54 - Mar 17 Mane coming short to receive the ball at feet whilst Long pressed high on the last defender created space we've not managed in recent games and it caused Chelsea a lot of problems in their defensive shape. At times, Mane was unplayable. His best performance for us by a long way and MOTM for me
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