Reigning FA Cup holders Chelsea travelled to St. Mary's this afternoon to take on Southampton in one of three all-Premier League FA Cup third round ties.
The hosts took a surprise lead through Jay Rodriguez's strike, but debutant Demba Ba scored twice to help Chelsea recover.
Victor Moses, Branislav Ivanovic and Frank Lampard also scored for the Blues to seal a 5-1 win and comfortable progression into the next round.
You can read how events unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Right, that's just about it from me today! Thanks a lot for joining Sports Mole on another fine FA Cup afternoon for Chelsea. Be sure to stay tuned for analysis, news and further results, and if you haven't had your fix of live action yet, check out our coverage of West Ham vs Manchester United.
If Chelsea fans had a checklist of things they wanted to happen in this match, all but a clean sheet has probably been ticked off. Ba scored twice on his debut, Lampard equalled Kerry Dixon's goal tally for the club, and the won comprehensively. A great way to respond to their shock defeat at home to QPR in midweek.
There you have it! Mike Dean brings Southampton's misery to an end as Chelsea come back from 1-0 down to comfortably progress to the FA Cup fourth round with a 5-1 win.
Rodriguez tries a shot from range to end the match on some sort of high for his side, but the only thing high about it is where it ended up! Poor effort.
Half-chance for Chelsea as Ba and Lampard exchange passes, but the final pass it just behind the midfielder and he can't control it.
Ba, unsurprisingly, is still full of running as he looks for a debut hat-trick. That would be some entrance into his new side!
YELLOW CARD! James Ward-Prowse enters the referee's notebook for a foul on Oscar late on. Correct decision.
CHANCE! A Chelsea corner finds Luiz, and he powers a great header towards goal, but it is straight at Boruc who collects it fairly comfortably.
The Saints have been blown away by Chelsea in this second half. Taking the QPR defeat out of the equation, Benitez's side have looked very impressive recently.
Lampard attempts to dink a ball through but a Southampton player intercepts it. The referee points at the spot after a long, hard think, but replays suggest that it hit the chest of the defender. Lampard steps up and, as usual, finds the back of the net with his spot kick to draw level with Kerry Dixon as the club's second-highest goalscorer. Just nine behind Bobby Tambling's all-time record now!
SUB: Another sub for Chelsea as the brilliant Juan Mata is replaced by Oscar. What a sub to be able to bring on at 4-1 up!
Southampton aren't giving up here and are enjoying a good spell. Do Prado's cross is a very good one but headed away before Puncheon's is nodded behind by Azpilicueta. The corner is punched by Turnbull but once again it comes straight back into the box, only for De Ridder to glance his effort wide.
SHOT! Chelsea pass it across the edge of the box and eventually Mata finds Lampard, who goes for a trademark piledriver, but boruc is down well to stop it.
CHANCE! Chelsea respond with a chance of their own. Moses drifts a fine ball to Ba at the back post, and he does everything right with his header, but Boruc saves his effort with his feet. Ba so close to a debut hattrick!
CHANCE! Wow, what a chance! Forget the five goals, that's probably the best chance of the match! De Ridder is about six yards out and hammers it towards goal, but Turnbull is there to make a huge save. The ball falls to the edge of the box and is hammered back in, but Turnbull is there again to deny Southampton.
Luiz has dropped back into defence with that sub, but I'd be surprised if he stays there for the remaining 20 minutes!
A reminder that Lampard is one goal short of becoming Cehslea joint-second highest scorer of all time. You wouldn't bet against him getting it here!
SUB: Despite being 4-1 up, there is an attacking sub from Benitez. On comes Lampard for Ivanovic, and the fans respond with a chant of "sign him up".
So, two goals for Ba - what will Torres be thinking? Will his starting place be under threat, or will they play together?
On the downside to that goal, however, Fonte is having to be stretchered off after injuring himself trying to defend that strike. On comes Hooiveld.
A dream debut double for Demba! Hazard feeds in a fine pass to the front post and Ba gets ahead of his man to poke it past Boruc. Two goals is as good a debut as you can hope for, and a great way to endear yourself to the Chelsea faithful. Game over.
Guly do Prado brings down Hazard about 30-35 yards from goal. Good chance for a cross, which Mata sends in to Luiz. The Brazilian gets on the end of it, but his header is stright at Boruc.
CHANCE! A long ball forward is beautifully taken down by Mata, who then sends a cross towards Ba at the back post. Boruc just gets there first, but his 'punch' only falls to Hazard, who is only denied from an easy tap-in by a fine tackle from Shaw.
Good goalkeeping from Turnbull as he is off his line quickly to gather the ball as Rodriguez threatened to get on the end of it.
The original corner flashes dangerously across the face of goal, but Southampton get it clear. It comes back in however, and Mata hangs up a delightful cross into the box, which Ivanovic rises to head home from close range. He couldn't really miss from that cross!
SHOT! Mata strikes towards goal, just trying to curl it into the far post but it is deflected wide for a corner.
In answer to the earlier question, though, Chelsea look to have come out with attacking intent in the second half, which is always good to see. There are more goals in this one!
Mata has another chance to collect it on the edge of the box straight after, but this time he miscontrols it! What's happened to him?!
Southampton give the ball away to Mata right on the edge of his on box - something you don't want to do - but his reverse pass is just too heavy and Southampton get away with it.
Turnbull almost has a moment of madness as he runs out of the box, but just keeps the ball inside. Close call, but he did well to keep it in the area!
It will be interesting to see what Chelsea's tactics will be in this second half. Do they shut up shop or look for another to give them breathing space? Southampton need to attack, which could leave space at the back for the mikes of Mata and Hazard to exploit.
Right, the teams are on their way back out onto the field. Southampton will need a huge effort to put Chelsea out at this stage for the first time in 20 years.
So, what will the managers be saying to their respective teams at the break then? Well, Nigel Adkins will be looking for a return to the first 20 minutes or so when they stopped Chelsea playing and nicked a goal in the process. Benitez, however, will want his side to carry on what they were doing in the final 15 minutes or so. Getting Mata, Hazard and Moses on the ball as often as possible seems to be their most likely way to get through, while Azpilicueta is getting a lot of joy down the right flank.
Chelsea have had 52% possession in that first half, and also lead in terms of shots, firing eight in, five of which were on target, compared to Southampton's three.
Let's bring you a quick round-up of noticeable results elsewhere then: Aston Villa 0-1 Ipswich; Bolton 1-0 Sunderland; Crawley 1-2 Reading; Man City 2-0 Watford; Peterborough 0-2 Norwich; QPR 0-0 West Brom; Spurs 3-0 Coventry; Wigan 0-1 Bournemouth.
The match started slowly, but the first goal is exactly what it needed and, since then, has been a pretty entertaining spectacle!
Oh what a sucker punch for the Saints! They took the lead and would've fancied their chances having gone in front, but Chelsea responded well and a debut goal for Demba Ba, who just nicked the ball off the toe of a defender on the line, made it 1-1. Then, right on the stroke of half time, Moses finished a chance very well to send his side into the break 2-1 up.
The Saints can't hold out! Ashley Cole pulls the ball back to Moses who is just inside the box. The wingers first touch sets the ball up nicely for a volley into the far corner of the goal. Very smart finish, and Chelsea strike just before the break!
Azpilicueta marauds down the right once again and his first cross is poor, but he gets the ball back and sends in another towards Ba, who goes for a spectacular volley (think Robin van Persie vs Charlton) but it is closer to the corner flag.
Chelsea are threatening at the end of this half, Southampton will be desperate to hold out until half time here.
Half chance from Ba as Moses and Mata link up on the left before the former sends in a cross towards the Senegalese striker, but he has to collect it behind him and he just loses control of it.
Azpilicueta is enjoying a fair amount of space down the right flank at the moment, but he doesn't make the most of it there. His cross is way too long for anyone and sails harmlessly out for a goal kick.
SHOT! Boruc looked untidy at times against Arsenal and that is the case again here as Azpilicueta goes for goal from range. The Spaniard slips while he shoots and the ball bounces just before Boruc. The keeper eventually collects it at the second attempt, but it was a nervy moment for him then!
CHANCE! Mata's ball into the box is headed only as far as Moses, who takes it down on his chest before volleying it towards goal. Boruc shovels it wide, but I'm not sure he would've stopped it if it was a foot to either side.
Puncheon launches an attack straight away in an effort to get his side back in front, but Ivanovic stands firm and rebuffs the attack. Chelsea fans are in full voice now!
There's the debut goal for Demba Ba! Hazard goes down the left before feeding it in to Mata, who jinks past his man in the box for dinking the ball over the keeper, and Ba gets to it on the line just before a defender to finish it off. He'll be delighted at that debut strike.
Southampton send in a corner which Chelsea can't clear first time, and a scramble ensues in and around the box, with the Blues eventually getting rid of the danger.
CLOSE! The Blues are beginning to knock on the door! Ramires finds Hazard, who gets space to shoot and tries to bend it around Boruc, but it goes just wide of the post. That's the closest Chelsea have come!
Azpilicueta looks to burst down the right but his touch just lets him down as it goes out for a goal-kick. Chelsea have responded well to the Southampton goal.
Chelsea look to respond immediately and Ba is in on goal, only to be pulled back for a foul on Yoshida in the build up. Very harsh on the debutant, who had a great chance to open his account there.
We could have a mini-cupset in the making! Puncheon sends a defence-splitting pass to Rodriguez, whose first touch is perfect and second touch isn't bad either as he just pokes it beyond the onrushing Turnbull!
UPDATE: While there's nothing much to report on here, let's bring you some updates from around the country. Sunderland have gone 1-0 down to Bolton, Reading are drawing 1-1 with Crawley, and Spurs have taken the lead against Coventry!
Cork manages to squeeze out a cross from the right but it is comfortably cleared. The match has been pretty even so far but neither side have created a clear chance.
Moses looks to take on Cork but then slips a disguised ball towards Ba, which is just too heavy. Nice idea, and the first glimpse of work between any of Chelsea's attacking midfield trio and Ba.
Nice play from Shaw takes him away from his man and he wins an attacking throw-in, from which Rodriguez gets the ball and wins a corner for the hosts, but Ba is there to head it away.
Davis is down injured after blocking a David Luiz shot, but he'll be alright. The Brazilian just caught him on the followthrough by the looks of things.
The ball almost breaks to Hazard in the box, but he is just outnumbered and again Southampton scramble it clear.
Ramires sends in a cross that is too long for Ba, but Moses gets on the end of it and jinks past his man, but his pullback is well intercepted.
Chelsea are beginning to ease themselves into the match now, though. They're starting to get their foot on the ball and knock it about nicely.
...the ball gets flicked across goal but sends Ivanovic too wide. He recycles the ball and eventually it comes out to Luiz on the edge of the box, but he sends his shot into row Z.
Nothing for Ba to get excited about for Chelsea so far, but maybe a chance now as Mata buys a corner for his side...
A horribly wayward pass from Luiz gifts the ball back to Southampton, and Chelsea just can't keep possession at the moment.
The Saints are really getting about Chelsea at the moment, looking to expose any hangover they may have from the QPR defeat. The defence is holding strong so far, however, as Ivanovic heads away a cross.
A fluid move from the hosts almost comes off but is intercepted and Chelsea have their ball at the feet for the first time. Mata's pass towards Hazard, however, is intercepted.
Southampton have made a positive start to this match, dominating possession early on, but Chelsea look keen to press high up the pitch.
Ashley Cole captains the Blues today in the absence of Terry and Lampard. The left-back has won more FA Cup winners medals than any other player in history.
David Luiz remains in the centre of midfield for Chelsea today. The Brazilian has been impressive in that role so far, and has another chance to shine today. He is much more suited to that than in defence, in my opinion.
Right, the teams are out on the pitch and shaking hands. We're just one minute away from kickoff on this historically huge day in English football!
Chelsea are, of course, the current holders of the cup, and a third round exit would be an unpleasant reminder of their elimination from the Champions League at the group stage despite being champions.
Right, we're nearing kickoff here for what promises to be an intriguing cup tie. Let's hope today's game lives up to the 'magic of the cup'!
Mata and Hazard's inclusions raises the question as to whether Benitez rested the duo for today's match, which would be an interesting role-reversal to what we have become used to, or whether the loss to QPR showed the Spanish boss that his team struggle without them.
That leads us nicely into our prediction time 10 minutes before kickoff. I see a backlash coming from Chelsea and, although Southampton won't make it easy for the Blues, I would be very surprised if their name wasn't in the pot for the fourth round. I'm going for 1-3.
So, both sides have history in the competition, but who will come out on top today? Chelsea must enter the match as favourites, especially considering the strength of the side picked by Benitez, but QPR showed that anyone can topple the European champions so it is by no means a foregone conclusion.
In terms of recent FA Cup form, though, no-one can come close to Chelsea. The Blues have, as stated above, won the trophy four of the last six years and are currently on a 23-match unbeaten run in the FA Cup.
They also have history of winning the competition, triumphing way back in 1976 in one of four finals they have appeared in, the last of which came in 2003.
The Saints have also made it to at least the fourth round in seven of their last eight seasons, with only Manchester United halting them at this stage.
Interestingly, Southampton hold the advantage in this fixture in the FA Cup. The Saints have knocked Chelsea out every single time that they have played them, the last coming in the third round in 1981, when Southampton ran out 3-1 winners.
This is one of just three all-Premier League clashes today, the others being QPR vs West Bromwich Albion and, later, West Ham vs Manchester United.
I will do my best to keep you updated with any scores across the country today, especially keeping an eye out for any major shocks. There's bound to be some!
It will be interesting to see how Ba gets on on his debut for the Blues today. His scoring record suggests that he will be a steal at the reported £7m that they paid for him, especially compared to Torres's £50m, but will he suit Chelsea? Only time will tell, but with the likes of Mata, Hazard, Moses, Oscar, Lampard etc behind you it will be hard not to bag a fair amount of goals!
There has already been one FA Cup tie today, and it provided something of a shock as Championship side Brighton conquered the Premier League's Newcastle, running out 2-0 winners.
The Chelsea interim boss does have history in this competition, leading Liverpool to success in 2006 as they beat West Ham on penalties in a thrilling final.
Benitez, of course, may have had no choice but to go for success in this tournament. Ignoring their recent past glories in it for a second, Chelsea's chances of winning silverware this season are fast evaporating. When Benitez arrived at the club he was targeting success on five fronts, and now only the FA Cup and Europa League realistically remain, with the Premier League an outside bet.
So, strong sides named by both managers. Good to see that they are taking this competition seriously. It is, after all, the oldest and best domestic club competition in the world!
SOUTHAMPTON XI: Boruc; Cork, Fonte, Yoshida, Shaw; Schneiderlin, S. Davis, Ward-Prowse, Puncheon, Rodriguez; Guly
Southampton, meanwhile, have made a couple of changes and are short of their full strength side, but not by much. Rickie Lambert only makes it onto the bench for the Saints today.
Yep, no Torres in the side although it is a very strong side that Benitez has chosen. The likes of Juan Mata and Eden Hazard return, while the defence is a full-strength one apart from the contiuned absence of John Terry. This is a statement of intent from Benitez.
BREAKING: Speaking of team news, some just arriving to me now is that Chelsea's new signing Demba Ba will make his debut for the Blues today. Presumably that will mean no Fernando Torres?
It will also be interesting to see Nigel Adkins's selection. He will fancy his side's chances today, especially if Chelsea name a weakened team, and a good cup run would certainly give a boost to his side. On the other hand, however, he may want to rest players to ensure that his best XI are fully fit for the league.
You'd expect a Chelsea backlash from that amazing defeat, but Benitez may be tempted to name another experimental lineup seeing as it is the FA Cup. A defeat at the first hurdle in this competition would not endear him to fans who have become accustomed to success in it, however, so it will be intersting to see his team selection.
Looking at the Premier League table, you'd only expect one winner today, but Southampton proved that they are no pushovers with a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in their last outing, while Chelsea were stunned by bottom-of-the-league QPR, so this one really could go either way.
Here, we have an extra-special treat with an all-Premier League clash, and it's a very intriguing one too.
We can expect cupsets, drama and the almost-extinct sight of great players playing in pitches that resemble a mudbath more than a football field all across the country today.
