Southampton manager Nigel Adkins has expressed his jubilation with his side's draw against Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Having been 2-0 down at half time, second-half goals from Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon earned the Saints a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge to move them three points above the relegation zone.

Adkins admits that starting Lambert on the bench was all part of his gameplan and is delighted with the way it came off.

"We know Chelsea are a good side," Adkins told reporters. "We knew if we opened up the space they have players who can hurt you. We came with a game plan to be compact and frustrate the opposition. It was a big call to leave Rickie Lambert out but we wanted to make sure we were in the game.

"At half time it was 2-0 and I said, 'stick to the gameplan'. If we had gone and chased it there was every chance we could have ended up with a scoreline like Aston Villa, who conceded eight here.

"We stuck at it. Rickie came on and scored the goal and what a fantastic goal it was for the second one. Not many teams will come back from two goals down against Chelsea."

Saints host Everton in their next match on Monday.