Home-sickener Hasselbaink

The cause for celebration in Southampton yesterday was the first Premiership match at their new £32m Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium. The cause for dismay was that the game itself was instantly forgettable and indisputably an inappropriate reflection of Southampton's effort and Chelsea's untidy inability to gel into a unit.

Southampton's haunting fear, which was emphasised yesterday, is that their departure from The Dell may also have left behind the helpful spirit of home advantage at a ground that was never inviting to visitors. The new stadium is smart, purpose-built and not too huge to be personal. In a way, it also returns Southampton to their roots since the club began life as Southampton St Mary's. But it could be anywhere and if – or probably when – times get tough and the team needs all the help they can get, especially in atmosphere, will it be worth a few crucial points as The Dell was?

Yesterday, naturally, Southampton were loudly supported by a crowd revelling in the comforts of the new surroundings, while Chelsea began uneasily, still bedding in their newcomers and making teamwork seem an alien commodity. Southampton took advantage, pressing firmly from midfield and not allowing Emmanuel Petit or Slavisa Jokanovic room to cause much danger.

Lacking Gianfranco Zola's crisp inventiveness in support of Jimmy Hasselbaink, Chelsea struggled to form any meaningful link between their own mid-field and what was, more often than not, a one-man attack. Boudewijn Zenden hovered harmlessly on the left side and Graeme le Saux's rare attempts to make a quick exit from the same side of the defence were effectively snuffed out by the hard-working Kevin Davies.

Ironically, on Le Saux's first serious crossing of the halfway line, he won a throw-in which he placed to Petit, who returned it. From Le Saux's long, deep centre, Hasselbaink somehow managed to rise above the home side's badly positioned defenders to head Chelsea into a totally unmerited lead.

Claudio Ranieri, the Chelsea manager, was fortunate. Until the goal, and for long periods afterwards, his team again seemed to be suffering from his own unsettled attitude to tactics and selection. Although said to be happier in himself this season, his players can hardly be in like mind while there remains such a lack of continuity. A side of such highly valued individuality ought not take 30 minutes to link together a single move of any impressive purpose.

Not surprisingly, Southampton looked stunned and Chelsea over-pleased with themselves. In reality, the occasion had already exceeded the entertainment value. Passes from both sides strayed aimlessly, like the hundreds of fans who had spent ages looking for almost non-existent public car-parking spaces outside the ground.

The quality of the football was not improved when Petit succumbed to a thigh injury. Southampton remained on the offensive and at the same time Dean Richards and Claus Lundekvam tightened their defence, allowing Hasselbaink little further acreage to exploit.

The earlier error that had permitted the goal became an increasing cause of their dismay. Chelsea's defence of their lead became an ever more tenuous affair and though, at last, they brought on Zola by the hour, all of the significant action was occurring at the other end.

Southampton's £4m summer acquisition from Derby, Rory Delap, put in a long cross which was glanced just wide by Marian Pahars and, similarly, another from Wayne Bridge was headed close by Uwe Rösler. In the meantime Ed de Goey, in the Chelsea goal, brought no confidence to those ahead of him as he missed the crosses and failed to dominate his area.

Eventually the Southampton supporters believed that the referee David Elleray – usually so quick to reach for his cards – would bring them some relief. The substitute James Beattie was making an angular run and was almost stepping into the penalty area when John Terry caught up with him. Beattie fell. The crowed bayed for a penalty but Elleray was only a few yards distant from the incident and had no doubt that a foul had not been committed. The ball ran out for a goal-kick.

Clearly, this would be a day long remembered for reasons unrelated to either the quality of the match itself or the outcome, which was made doubly cruel when, in the 90th minute, from Frank Lampard's short cross, Mario Stanic slid in the second Chelsea goal that little of their football had shown as justification for the scoreline. Even Ranieri confessed afterwards that it was a matter of his side getting two chances and taking them both and Southampton getting several and missing them all. Striker wanted for good home!

Southampton 0 Chelsea 2

Hasselbaink 33, Stanic 90

Half-time: 0-1 Attendance: 31,107