Chelsea 4-0 Southampton: Blues roll over hapless Southampton to climb to fourth

Chelsea ended their clean sheet drought in style with a dominant 4-0 win over Southampton, and momentarily moving up into the top four.
Chelsea FC v Southampton FC - Premier League
Chelsea FC v Southampton FC - Premier League | Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

It was a day of protest against the owners and sporting directors ahead of kickoff, as Chelsea fans made their frustrations clear. Since the change in ownership, the club’s ambition has faded, with poor recruitment and a wasted January transfer window only making things worse.

Instead of strengthening, Chelsea somehow emerged weaker, and their struggles this season have reflected that mismanagement. However, despite the chaos off the pitch, they at least secured three points at Stamford Bridge, seeing off a helpless Southampton side doomed for relegation.

The Blues moved back into the top four momentarily as they brushed aside bottom-of-the-league Southampton 4-0, hoping to build on the result with a Conference League tie against Copenhagen up next, followed by league games against Leicester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham.

First league clean sheet of 2025

Despite holding Morecambe goalless last month in the FA Cup, Chelsea hadn’t earned a clean sheet since the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park just days before Christmas. That streak finally came to an end in emphatic fashion with a dominant 4-0 win over the Saints.

Christopher Nkunku broke the deadlock before the half-hour mark, pouncing on a loose ball following a corner. Beating William Smallbone to it, he nodded the ball past Aaron Ramsdale to give Chelsea the lead. The Frenchman continued to make an impact just 12 minutes later, setting up Pedro Neto, who fired a laser past Ramsdale to double the advantage.

Levi Colwill got on the scoresheet for the first time this season moments before the interval, heading in from a set piece to put the game out of reach. The second half was a quiet affair, with Southampton never really threatening, a clear reflection of the gulf in quality between the two sides. Chelsea added a fourth late on, with Marc Cucurella scoring after being set up by Tyrique George, who has been electric off the bench in recent appearances.

With the comfortable lead secured, Enzo Maresca handed opportunities to two debutants—Mathis Amougou, recently signed from Saint-Étienne, and Shumaira Mheuka, who made his league debut.

With Bournemouth and Aston Villa dropping points, Chelsea finally capitalized on the opportunity to strengthen their position in the top four. Newcastle and Manchester City however still have a chance to go jump over the Blues with their matches on Wednesday.

"We said many times that the target for us is to bring this club in the Champions League."
Enzo Maresca

Despite it just being Southampton, a side doomed for relegation, Chelsea can only hope this is the turning point in their season. Too often, they’ve followed up dominant wins with frustrating setbacks, failing to build any real momentum. However this time, with a clean sheet, a commanding performance, and a clear sense of control throughout the match, there’s reason to believe it could be different.