Saints are now approaching what feels like another milestone moment in their season.

When they reached the game against Everton at St Mary’s it felt like a match they had to win if they were to avoid getting sucked into trouble.

They did get the victory, and in some style, but rather than being the catalyst for a run of results, things have meandered along since then.

There have been some tough fixtures, but also a couple of winnable ones.

However, when Saints welcome Huddersfield on Saturday they will know they need to take three points.

If not, given they are edging ever closer to the relegation zone, and with trips to Tottenham and Manchester United next up after facing the Terriers, there is the very real danger they could be in or very near the bottom three come the turn of the year.

At that stage, with more than half the season gone, any remaining hopes of upward momentum and achieving more than simply staying in the division would have to be set aside, and full on battle mode commence.

If Saints can get the win against Huddersfield, it at least eases the pressure, temporarily or otherwise.

It won’t be easy. Huddersfield come into the game confident after a big away victory, while Saints look dejected.

Losing 1-0 at Chelsea isn’t exactly an awful result, but you always got the sense that defeat was highly likely.

Saints were plucky enough, but it is questionable whether they defended really well, as they did against Manchester City, or just got men behind the ball against a Chelsea attack that was ineffective for most of the game.

Saints also offered little forward threat, creating one really good chance and not all that much else.

With Mauricio Pellegrino having said he would only pick players committed to the club after the hammering against Leicester, there were six changes.

The most significant was the dropping of Virgil van Dijk, but perhaps Pellegrino’s message got a little lost as rotation played a large part in his selection as well.

The first half turned out to be one defined by virtually the very last kick of it.

Up until that point Saints had battled away to try and keep Chelsea at bay.

Indeed, in the early moments they were bright going forward, with Ryan Bertrand’s low ball in from the left causing problems for Gary Cahill.

But after Cedric Soares limped off on 17 minutes and Pellegrino was forced into a slight reshuffle it became much more of a containment job for Saints.

They were increasingly pinned back for long spells and grateful to Fraser Forster for a number of saves, and some errant Chelsea finishing.

Willian put wide of the far post when he might have scored, Forster stopped Gary Cahill’s long range drive, as well as from N’Golo Kante.

Bertrand’s superb last ditch challenge denied Willian, Forster saved from Marcos Alonso and Pedro’s deflected shot hit the near post after he took advantage of Mario Lemina’s brief moment of hesitancy in the box.

The Chelsea goal eventually came deep into stoppage time.

Maya Yoshida brought down Eden Hazard as he broke forward, and Alonso stepped up to take the free kick 25 yards out just to the left of centre.

He hit it left footed, curling it round the outside of the wall and into the bottom corner with Forster unable to get across to it.

Strangely, Chelsea fell way off the pace after the restart and were bang average in the second period.

They did still have the greater weight of opportunities, but it was Saints who had the most clear cut opening.

That came after 62 minutes when sub Charlie Austin was played in one-on-one. Thibaut Courtois was quick to get out and narrow the target and Austin’s attempt to curl it into the far corner was saved.

Austin had the other significant Saints chance of the half, and the match, though it was much tougher, as he stabbed a shot goalwards after Sofiane Boufal’s through ball, but Courtois was there again, this time stopping with his legs.

Chelsea’s inability to get out of first gear meant they struggled to really threaten to break Saints down regularly, given that Pellegirno’s men continued to get so many players behind the ball.

Hazard did get the ball in the net but Cesc Fabregas was flagged for the tightest of offsides in the build-up.

Forster saved from Alonso and Alvaro Morata while Fabregas saw his effort from an incredibly tight angle dribble agonisingly across the goalline and away.

Saints couldn’t really exert any telling pressure on Chelsea in the closing stages, and it was Forster who had to save from Fabregas as the three points stayed in London.

It is a result that leaves Saints really looking over their shoulder.

Unlike when Everton came to town, Huddersfield should provide some live opposition.

They will need beating, and Saints will have to show they can do it under pressure.

If they fail, then life is going to get very tough indeed.