Chelsea placed on a dominant show as they cruised to a 4-0 victory over Southampton at Stamford Bridge within the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca’s aspect managed the sport from begin to end, with objectives from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella sealing an emphatic win.
The sport started with Chelsea having fun with early spells of possession as they sought to interrupt down Southampton’s defensive setup.
Regardless of a few promising moments for the guests, together with an effort from Paul Onuachu that was comfortably handled byFilip Jorgensen, it was the Blues who appeared the extra threatening.
The breakthrough arrived within the twenty fourth minute when Enzo Fernandez’s nook was flicked on by Tosin Adarabioyo, discovering Nkunku on the again publish. The Frenchman made no mistake, nodding dwelling from shut vary to make it 1-0.
Chelsea’s attacking momentum continued, and simply 12 minutes later, Nkunku turned supplier. He surged via the midfield earlier than slipping a wonderfully weighted move to Neto, who powered a fierce shot previous Aaron Ramsdale on the close to publish to double the lead.
As half-time approached, Southampton struggled to deal with Chelsea’s fluid attacking actions. Their defensive frailties have been additional uncovered within the forty third minute when Neto whipped in a harmful free-kick, which Levi Colwill met with a thunderous header to place Chelsea 3-0 up earlier than the break.
4 objectives, three factors! 😁#CFC | #CHESOU pic.twitter.com/kEChbFG4xQ
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 25, 2025
Southampton, who had managed simply 0.21 anticipated objectives (xG) within the first half, appeared out of concepts and overwhelmed by Chelsea’s depth.
Regardless of the snug lead, Chelsea confirmed no indicators of complacency after the restart. Nkunku, Palmer, and Fernandez all got here near extending the lead throughout the opening minutes of the second half, however Ramsdale produced a collection of wonderful saves to maintain the scoreline from turning into much more embarrassing.
Southampton supervisor Ivan Juric made a string of substitutions in an try and inject vitality into his aspect, introducing the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ryan Manning, and Tyler Dibling.
Nevertheless, the Saints struggled to create significant probabilities, failing to register a single shot on the right track within the second half.
Chelsea, in the meantime, continued to dominate possession and probe for openings. The fourth purpose lastly arrived within the 78th minute when a Southampton nook was poorly executed, permitting Chelsea to counterattack.
Malo Gusto surged down the fitting flank and located Tyrique George contained in the field, who neatly teed up Cucurella. The Spanish full-back confirmed composure, shifting the ball onto his left foot earlier than slotting it into the underside nook to finish the rout.
Cole Palmer, who had been influential all through, was unlucky to not get on the scoresheet. His curling free-kick in stoppage time was brilliantly saved by Ramsdale, capping off a irritating night in entrance of purpose for the younger ahead.