Oscar had a forgettable game in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to plucky relegation battlers Southampton as interim boss Rafael Benitez rung the changes.
Ramires and David Luiz were dropped to the bench but Oscar was deployed in attacking midfield as Benitez rotated his squad ahead of a gruelling run of four games in nine days.
But their run did not get off to a good start as the Saints out-fought them at every turn as Jay Rodriguez followed up his strike against Liverpool with another at St Marys.
John Terry equalised for the Blues but a sensational free-kick from Ricky Lambert secured his 14th goal of the campaign and a much needed three points.
Chelsea will now be turning their attention to Monday’s FA Cup semi-final replay against Manchester United with hopes of securing silverware this season.
That tie is swiftly followed by a Europa League clash with Russian outfit Rubin Kazan on Thursday and a Premier League game with Sunderland on Sunday.
