Marcos Alonso was pleased to prove Chelsea's matchwinner against Southampton.

It was the Spaniard's perfectly placed free-kick, his 10th goal for the club, which gave the Blues the lead moments before half-time and ultimately the win.

"We knew after this game it was going to be even harder for us [against Southampton] so great character and it was a very good performance," said Alonso to chelseafc.com.

"We had control of the game through the 90 minutes. We tried to score the second to finish the game but the ball didn't want to go in. However 1-0 was enough.

"We had to stay together and defend well and it was a very good game. It was a very good minute to score and I am happy to help the team get the three points. I had another couple of chances and I was a bit unlucky. The ball came to my right foot which is not my stronger one."