It was never likely to be an easy end to the season for Saints, but they have to try and ensure that it doesn’t fall flat.

There has been a sense of drift ever since the EFL Cup final.

That is a situation that is hardly all of Saints’ making. It is not their fault games have been few and far between.

But with the Europa League having fizzled out earlier than hoped, and in contrast to a first half of the campaign that was almost beyond hectic, it has felt like a slow march to the end of the season for about two months already.

In football momentum is everything, and therefore it is imperative that Saints do not allow things to just fizzle out.

Saying is easier than doing when your final matches contain opposition like Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Even so, Claude Puel is still trying to establish himself at Saints, and has yet to win over a proportion of the crowd, making this period, without the pressure of relegation or challenging for Europe, and given the struggles against the bigger clubs, important for him personally.

Also, when it comes to the summer and trying to keep and attract players, Saints will certainly want there to be a feeling of optimism around the club and the squad.

St Mary’s has seen before what happens when a sense of drift takes hold, and it’s not good.

After the pummelling by City, which came on the back of a small but decent little run, there was a spirited response against Chelsea, who were not the rampaging side of earlier in the season but more in the mode of ‘getting it done.’ However, yet another game against top opposition ended in defeat leaving Puel with work to do to get some spark back into the campaign.

The first half at Stamford Bridge ebbed and flowed in dramatic, and often unexpected fashion.

You could have predicted that Chelsea would come out of the traps flying. They needed the win for their title ambitions, and were always going to be pumped for the occasion.

You might have predicted that the pressure would take its toll on Saints, as it duly did as they conceded an early goal.

But what followed thereafter was good entertainment.

It felt as though the writing was on the wall for Saints as Jack Stephens failed to make a clean contact to a deep Dusan Tadic free kick and shortly afterwards Chelsea scored, especially as the goal was conceded in such a limp fashion.

One long ball allowed Diego Costa to get to the right by-line. There were eight Saints players in the area but, Costa aside, only one other Chelsea man.

However, Eden Hazard was given the chance to hit a first time finish from Costa’s cut back and buried it in the bottom corner.

Far from crumpling though Saints actually started to take charge of the game. Chelsea puzzlingly sat back, dropping the intensity levels as if they felt it was job done.

After Hazard fired over, Saints started to create chances, and eventually it led to a goal.

James Ward-Prowse’s corner was inadvertently flicked on at the near post by a Chelsea head and came to Manolo Gabbiadini. He needed no second invitation to shoot.

Thibaut Courtois made the save but the ball broke to Oriol Romeu in the middle of the six yard box and he had the simplest of finishes.

It did wake Chelsea up and as the half wore on they produced waves of pressure, but Courtois still had to punch clear a free kick while Sofiane Bofual hit the side netting.

But in a cruel blow Chelsea regained their advantage in first half stoppage time.

The imperious N’Golo Kante wasn’t tracked after a corner was cleared and lofted in a cross, Marcos Alonso put it back across goal and Gary Cahill arrived to head downwards and past Fraser Forster.

The timing of the goal was a killer, and Chelsea came out for the second period in no mood to let Saints back in.

However, the frustration for Saints was that, while they troubled the Blues’ backline, the goals they conceded were partly of their own making, which you don’t need against a side capable of scoring when there is little you can do to stop them.

It was 3-1 on 54 minutes as Saints failed to deal with a short corner, and Cesc Fabregas had time to measure a chipped cross into the area.

Costa had got himself on Ryan Bertrand at the far post and got in front of the left back to head home.

Saints did create a couple of openings, Courtois diving to his right to turn wide from Tadic’s long range drive and Gabbiadini hitting the side netting from a tight angle.

It was Chelsea who were on top though.

Forster had to stand strong to deny Kante as he tried to chip the Saints keeper after being played in by the breaking Hazard.

But he was beaten for a fourth time just before the end as Costa played a brace of quick one-twos to work himself into the area.

The first was with Hazard, the second with Pedro, and Costa finished off the slick move with a low driven shot into the near bottom corner.

There was still time for Saints to grab a consolation in stoppage time as ex-Chelsea man Bertrand flicked a header from the penalty spot into the far corner.

But by then the game was already gone and, while there was no shame in defeat to the soon to be crowned champions, there remains the feeling Saints need to get something for themselves soon.