Chelsea produced a toothless display as it was held to a 0-0 draw at home by struggling Southampton and lost Willian to injury in the process.
Maurizio Sarri reinstated Alvaro Morata to the team with Olivier Giroud ruled out, yet the service to the Spaniard was poor as Saints dug deep to hold on for a well-earned point.
A tame first half passed with few flashpoints, though Chelsea did see Willian forced off on the same day the club announced the signing of Christian Pulisic, who will arrive at the end of the season.
The home side had a Morata goal controversially ruled out for offside late in the second half as it failed to win at home for a second successive outing, following on from a shock 1-0 reverse against Leicester City on December 22.
It took Chelsea 33 minutes to craft its first meaningful opportunity, Eden Hazard finding space in the left side of the area and firing an effort which came back off the face of Premier League debutant Angus Gunn.
Willian was forced off after a collision with Maya Yoshida a few moments later, further decreasing Chelsea's depleted forward options.
And while Sarri will no doubt wish Pulisic was available immediately, Willian's replacement Ruben Loftus-Cheek looked lively.
The England international set Morata up for a chance 12 minutes from time only for the former Real Madrid man to shoot straight at Gunn from a tight angle, shortly after he was adjudged to have strayed offside when finding the net.
Chelsea's desperation towards the end resulted in Marcos Alonso going down easily under pressure from Shane Long in the area, but referee Jonathan Moss correctly ignored the protests, allowing Saints to hold on.
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