A heavily rotated Chelsea side moved to within seven points of Premier League leaders Liverpool with a commanding 5-1 victory over bottom-placed Southampton at St Mary’s. The hosts endured another dismal evening, compounded by the dismissal of captain Jack Stephens for violent conduct after pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made seven changes to his starting lineup, but the reshuffled team delivered a dominant attacking display that further fuels talk of a potential title challenge. Three of the new starters—Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, and Noni Madueke—found the net in the first half as Chelsea climbed to second place in the table.
Disasi opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a well-placed header, but Southampton briefly responded as Joe Aribo slotted past Filip Jorgensen, who was making his Premier League debut. However, the Saints’ error-prone season struck again just minutes later when goalkeeper Joe Lumley’s poor pass was intercepted by Madueke. The winger calmly set up Nkunku to roll the ball into an empty net, marking the ninth goal Southampton have conceded this season directly from defensive errors.
Madueke added to Chelsea’s lead in the 34th minute with a superb curling effort, and Southampton’s evening deteriorated further when Stephens was sent off following a VAR review for pulling Cucurella’s hair at a corner. Reduced to 10 men, Southampton had no answers as Chelsea took complete control of the game.
Cole Palmer extended the visitors’ lead with a simple tap-in in the 77th minute, while substitute Jadon Sancho added a fifth in the closing stages—his first goal for the club. The victory extended Chelsea’s unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions, and they now turn their attention to a crucial clash with London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
For Southampton, this heavy defeat deepens their struggles as they remain rooted to the foot of the table, desperately searching for answers.
