A lot can change in 12 months – especially when Chelsea are involved…

This time last year, Chelsea looked down and out – but the tale of the tape under Antonio Conte looks very different.

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Gone are the days of consistent losses and bore draws – Chelsea are on a roll. The Blues are firing on all cylinders, and the latest victim of the Conte assault was Southampton – with Chelsea returning to London on Sunday evening with a 2-0 victory and 3 points.

We say it every week, but this was, undoubtedly, Chelsea best performance of the season – and the Blues looked even more lethal than they did against Man Utd last week.

It would appear that defeat against West Ham was a minor blip for Conte – and he will no doubt just be taking positives from this result.

With that said, here are 3 things Conte learned from Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Southampton

Hazard and Costa

How good is it to see both Diego Costa and Eden Hazard back to their best?

When Chelsea won the title in 2014, much of the Blues’ success was down to this deadly duo – and it would appear that we are getting a repeat of that fine form again this season.

Last year was a bit of a write-off for the pair, but they appear to be firing on all cylinders once again this season.

Both picked up fantastic goals today, and if they perform that well every week – Antonio Conte will undoubtedly be confident that the Blues can go far this season. When they play well – Chelsea play well.

Midfield Security

Much of the attention post-game has, expectedly, been placed upon the shoulders of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard – but the Chelsea midfielders must be given credit for their performance throughout the game.

N’Golo Kante has finally hit his stride – and Nemanja Matic looks like a new player in the middle-of-the-park.

Matic, in particular, deserves credit – as he looked down and out over the summer, but he has really taken the chance that Antonio Conte has given him.

Much of the success of this 3-4-3 formation is down to this impressive midfield duo.

Title Challenge

Whisper it quietly…but can Chelsea actually challenge for the title this season?

Chelsea’s 4-0 victory against Man Utd last weekend certainly put down a marker, but this performance was arguably more impressive.

Southampton have been impossible to defeat at home in recent weeks, and Chelsea strolled to victory on Sunday afternoon.

If the Blues play like this every week – they could very easily find themselves in the title picture this season.

Conte won’t be getting carried away – but he must be thinking it.

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