CHELSEA followed up their mighty win at Tottenham with a terrible loss on Boxing Day that saw them run a whopping 2.2 miles less.
Southampton came away from Stamford Bridge with all three points having outran their opponents considerably.
In the 2-0 win at Spurs four days earlier, Frank Lampard’s troops clocked 69.2 miles throughout the 90 minutes but that figure dropped to just 67 miles against Saints.
Such a dramatic downing of tools was the largest in the Premier League between those sides who played on December 21 or 22 and 26.
Despite the build-up of fixtures during the holiday season, only five teams ran less distance on Boxing Day’s gameweek 19 than the previous weekend.
Sheffield United, Brighton, Everton and Leicester also dropped off – three of those teams also picking up worse results than they would have hoped.
At the other end of the scale, Bournemouth ran 5.2 miles harder in an end-to-end draw with Arsenal than in their late defeat to Burnley.
And Manchester United clocked a further 4.6 miles when beating Newcastle 4-1 compared to their own disappointing loss, at Watford.
Southampton stunned Chelsea with a goal in either half on ThursdayCredit: PA:Empics Sport
The numbers, compiled by Betting Expert, paint a convincing picture of work-rate being rewarded.
Southampton were among the biggest marathon men as they put in 68.2 miles while beating Aston Villa before a 70.2 mile effort at Stamford Bridge.
By some distance, the shortest distance run by a side was United’s paltry 62.8 miles accrued in the 2-0 defeat at Watford.
It was therefore no surprise to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men compelled to up the ante at home to Newcastle on Boxing Day – earning a 4-1 win.
Chelsea’ presence at the other end of the spectrum serves as another reason to worry about their performances at home.
Three league defeats in four at Stamford Bridge, all without scoring against supposedly lesser teams, have shown deep flaws in Lampard’s system.
Playing away to misfiring top-four rivals is a wholly different proposition to breaking down plucky underdogs in your own backyard.
Having scored double the number of goals away as they have at home in the Premier League, the Blues may be clinging onto a Champions League spot but their cracks appear to only be deepening.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
