BLUES DEMOLISH SOUTHAMPTON AT ST. MARY’S STADIUM IN A SIX-APPEAL TO MAKE SINNERS OF SAINTS- SOUTHAMPTON 0-6 CHELSEA.
A Mason Mount-inspired Chelsea emphatically bounced back from two defeats in five days by demolishing a dismal Southampton side, who have now lost five of their previous six matches. This was Chelsea’s seventh consecutive away win in all competition, the joint-longest winning run in their history.
Timo Werner had already hit the woodwork twice, before his team took the lead in the eighth minute. Mason Mount expertly cushioned a Ruben Loftus-Cheek cross down to Marcos Alonso, and the onrushing Spaniard thrashed it beyond Fraser Forster to begin an avalanche of pain for the home side. Having set up the first, Mount was the goal scorer just seven minutes later as he blasted a low drive beyond Forster from the edge of the box.
A disappointing start for the visitors soon became disastrous, as they gifted Chelsea another two goals. James Ward-Prowse’s wayward header allowed Werner a run in on goal, and the German rounded Forster to double his season’s Premier League tally. One Chelsea player not lacking goals is Kai Havertz, and he was on hand to tap-in a rebound from yet another Werner shot that hit the woodwork, following comical defending from Mohammed Salisu.
Any Southampton fans that decided to return to their seats after the interval were left with an instant sense of regret, as Werner bagged his second of the game just four minutes into the second half, meaning he has now scored more goals against Southampton than against all other Premier League sides combined. Five minutes later Mount pounced to turn home a sixth and pile the misery on the ‘Saints’.
Such a comfortable scoreline allowed Chelsea to rest their key players ahead of their trip to Madrid on Tuesday, while Southampton seemed content to simply avoid another infamous 9-0 defeat.
