Chelsea returned to the Premier League’s top four, at least temporarily, after a dominant 4-0 victory over Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella ensured a comfortable win for the home side. Here are the positives and negatives from the match.
Positives
1. Dominant Performance
It may have been against the bottom side in the Premier League table, but this was the kind of performance Chelsea fans expected. The dominance was reflected in the scoreline, and notably, two of the goals came from set pieces, something that has become increasingly rare for the Blues in recent times.
Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring after Tosin Adarabioyo nudged a header to the back post from a corner. The Frenchman then turned provider, assisting Pedro Neto, who extended Chelsea’s lead with an emphatic finish. Neto followed up with a brilliant out-swinging free-kick that found Levi Colwill, whose fantastic header hit the back of the net. In the second half, young Tyrique George registered his first-ever Premier League assist by setting up Marc Cucurella, who rifled his shot into the goal. Chelsea could have scored even more, as they missed some decent chances.
Chelsea’s dominance was reflected in the stats as well, making this performance all the more vital. With the upcoming weekend reserved for FA Cup fixtures, the Blues will get a brief break before returning to action next Thursday against FC København in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League Round of 16. This gap will also help with the fitness levels of key players who have accumulated heavy minutes.