Puel echoes Mourinho woes after early Chelsea goal

Southampton manager Claude Puel felt Chelsea was allowed to play like it did against Jose Mourinho's Manchester United last week thanks to Eden Hazard's early goal.

Southampton boss Claude Puel on the touchline against Chelsea.

Southampton boss Claude Puel believes the timing of Chelsea's first goal at St Mary's Stadium on Sunday proved pivotal in its 2-0 victory.

Eden Hazard opened the scoring in the sixth minute, firing low between the legs of goalkeeper Fraser Forster to give Antonio Conte's side early control. Diego Costa added a superb second 10 minutes after half-time to secure Chelsea's fourth Premier League win in a row and move it to within a point of leader Manchester City.

Jose Mourinho said last week that Manchester United's 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge was made possible as Pedro's goal with just 30 seconds on the clock allowed Chelsea to sit deep and play on the counter-attack.

And Puel felt Conte's men were allowed to repeat that performance thanks to Hazard's timely strike, telling BBC Sport: "I think we played very well in the first half with so many possibilities and good play. But it's difficult to play against this team when you concede a goal after a few minutes. They can play their game with a strong defence and counter-attack."

"We played very well in the first half. In the second we tried, but after the second goal it was difficult – because my players were tired. It was difficult to find solutions, it's a disappointment because we tried to play good football. We can do better."

Midfielder Steven Davis added: "Chelsea were very well organised, it was difficult to play against. We're frustrated because we had a decent amount of possession without breaking them down. They were clinical as well."

Southampton's loss – its first at home this season – denied it the chance to climb into seventh.