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 facet 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 submit. The Frenchman made no mistake, nodding house from shut vary to make it 1-0.
Chelsea’s attacking momentum continued, and simply 12 minutes later, Nkunku turned supplier. He surged by the midfield earlier than slipping a wonderfully weighted go to Neto, who powered a fierce shot previous Aaron Ramsdale on the close to submit to double the lead.
As half-time approached, Southampton struggled to deal with Chelsea’s fluid attacking actions. Their defensive frailties had 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 inside the opening minutes of the second half, however Ramsdale produced a collection of wonderful saves to maintain the scoreline from changing into much more embarrassing.
Southampton supervisor Ivan Juric made a string of substitutions in an try and inject vitality into his facet, introducing the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ryan Manning, and Tyler Dibling.
Nevertheless, the Saints struggled to create significant possibilities, failing to register a single shot heading in the right direction within the second half.
Chelsea, in the meantime, continued to dominate possession and probe for openings. The fourth aim lastly arrived within the 78th minute when a Southampton nook was poorly executed, permitting Chelsea to counterattack.
Malo Gusto surged down the correct 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 aim for the younger ahead.