Chelsea’s troubled season took another turn for the worse on Saturday when Southampton inflicted a fourth loss in eight games on the reigning Premier League champions.
Southampton seized on defensive frailties to win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in London, leaving Chelsea 10 points behind the leader, Manchester City, and only 4 points above the relegation zone.
The result made Manager José Mourinho raise the prospect of Chelsea’s firing him — just as the owner Roman Abramovich did in 2007 after three years with Mourinho in charge. However, Mourinho said he would not walk away from the challenge of turning things around.