Away to Sunderland and Stoke next. Should be 'fun'.

Good second half performance. Ba looked lively when he came on, nice to see him on the score-sheet.

Great second half and result.

Woo 3 points in the bag, great comeback from us today. Still concerned about our lack of options in central midfield. We're in pretty much the same position as last year - it's so fustrating that Van Ginkel is out injured. Essien, I love the guy but he's not going to cut it anymore. We want to play a high pressing game so why didn't we go for a CM in the summer? Sorry if I'm dampening the mood in here, I'll just shut up now.

Great second half performance

Sadly I agree about Essien, he was always one of my favourite players, but I think his best years are behind him and all the injuries have caught up with him.

Great to see JT score on his 400th premier league appearance..

I'm in two minds about Essien. On the one hand he was off the pace and subbing him at H/T was absolutely the right thing to do. On the other though, he's played such little football for us this season (even in the way of sub appearances) that on reflection it was probably unrealistic to expect him to come back in and show no signs of rustiness. Probably would have been better letting him get a few more sub appearances and cup starts under his belt before risking starting him in a PL game, especially against a good side like Southampton.

Looks like we'll just have to go with Mikel for the time being, as much as that's not exactly ideal either.

Ba should start the next game. Torres' general performances have been better this season, but he's still not enough of a goal threat. Ba would score more if he played anywhere near as much as him.

No, I don't think we'll be seeing much more of Michael Essien. He was/is one of my favourite players as well. The mistake for the goal was bad enough, but to see him hustled off the ball by players he would have once brushed off like annoying flies was particularly sad.

Still it was a great second half display against a team that have been playing well. Let's hope we can find some consistency from here on. Oh, and Mourinho must have been quite impressed with Mata's contribution, surely ?

You'd hope so, but we've been here before. If we don't put in a decent performance on wednesday and Mata has started then he'll be the fall guy once again.

Lukaku and Moses aside, has anyone seen much of any of our players out on loan this season? Anyone impressing?

Usually try to watch a few of them, but not had the time so far this season. Every time I see Vitesse's results Kakuta and Piazon are always involved....sure they're top of the league, too. Also read somewhere that Chalobah's spell at Forest has been a waste of time, which is very surprising considering his form last season.

This new forum design is f**king hideous

Any news on Oscar's injury?

Havn't heard anything on Oscar. Hope it's not to serious

Oh and agree with you about the new layout whats going on?????

the layout is an abomination.

and lets hope oscar is back soon, we will miss him!

Apparently Oscar is fine, just a small knock.

I must admit i'd forgot all about Kakuta.

I can still remember the massive promise he showed during his first couole of appearances. Sadly, little came of it, and he ended up looking like one of those players who have great skill, but absolutely no real football brain.

I think it's highly doubtful he'll ever make it at Chelsea now, and i'm surprised we're still hanging on to him. The same with Josh, as well.

Lucrative contracts probably. Josh is on silly money.

Well that's showing a lack of ambition and belief from those players.
Lukaku won't hang around too much longer at Chelsea for the money, that's for sure!

I think Josh will make it.

He still only 20 years old and only one of the loans (so far) as really worked out for him.

He has at least another 15 years of "first team" football in him.

I think due to the way football is going nowadays and the lack of the old "boot room apprenticership" we are going to see more and more players go onloan and not come into the team until 23/24. If this was the Chelsea Roman bought then Josh would be playing week in week out. He is a wonderful player but IMO needs a couple more seasons of being a first team player in a club where the glaze and presure is not as extreme as it would be at Chelsea. Its not the skills side he needs to learn its how to be a profesional footballer side of the job.

In the old days when you "looked" after a first team player you learned the ropes that way but since its against our human rights to be made to clean someone elses boots we have had to find new ways

I haven't been following Josh too closely in his loan spells with Watford and Middlesboro', but surely if he was likely to make it with us he'd be on loan at another PL club? I know the Swansea loan a couple of seasons ago didn't work out for him, but I would have thought there'd maybe have been some other takers since then?

Oh, this forum re-design is indeed appalling.

Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Lampard, Willian, Mata, Hazard, Torres

Subs: Cole, Essien, Mikel, Schurrle, De Bruyne, Ba, Schwarzer.

Still never know what to think when Willian or Schurrle start :s

We really need to be winning our next two games, Sunderland and Stoke should be an easy 6 points... no doubt we will make a meal of it.

Here we go again.

Of course.

Lamps!