Player Ratings: Chelsea Smash Southampton to Close Gap on Liverpool | OneFootball

Chelsea’s Dominant Display Over 10-Man Southampton

In a dazzling display of football, Chelsea continued their impressive streak with a convincing 5-1 victory against a 10-man Southampton team at St. Mary’s. This victory keeps them within striking distance of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Strategic Rotations and Early Leads

Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, made a decisive move by rotating his squad, introducing fresh legs following their recent victory over Aston Villa. This strategy paid dividends early on when Axel Disasi converted Enzo Fernandez’s corner with a sharp header. Despite missing key players, Southampton started energetically, quickly equalising through Joe Aribo, capitalising on an excellent play by Kyle Walker-Peters.

Southampton’s Self-Sabotage

The match’s momentum significantly shifted following Jack Stephens’ red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair—an act of indiscipline that left the Saints with a mountain to climb already trailing 3-1. Southampton’s defensive frailties were exposed as Chelsea capitalised on errors, with Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke adding to the scoreline. Despite being a man down, Southampton showed brief flashes of attacking intent, but Chelsea’s superiority was overwhelming.

Photo: IMAGO

Unrelenting Chelsea Capitalise

Goalkeeper Joe Lumley, despite his struggles with ball handling, performed admirably in goal for Southampton, but his efforts did little to stem the tide. Chelsea’s relentless pressure continued, with Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho (scoring his first Premier League goal for Chelsea) rounding off the scoring.

This result places Chelsea just seven points behind the leaders, keeping their title aspirations very much alive.

Player Ratings

Here’s how the players fared in this high-intensity match:

Southampton:

Chelsea:

Player of the Match: Noni Madueke (Chelsea)

Chelsea’s robust performance against Southampton not only highlights their depth and strategic prowess but also underscores their resilience and ability to exploit opposition mistakes—an essential quality for contenders in the Premier League.