Chelsea shuffled their pack but played their cards right as they recorded their third Premier League victory in a row with a comfortable victory over a lacklustre Southampton.
Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke all found the net inside the opening 45 minutes for Enzo Maresca’s heavily rotated side, who were also aided by their hosts’ self-destructive streak.
Southampton had Jack Stephens sent off for yanking Marc Cucurella’s hair before half-time and after the break, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho added further gloss to the margin of victory.
Dan Sheldon breaks down the main talking points from a straightforward night’s work for Chelsea.
Cucurella vs Stephens — this game’s mane event
Who would have known that Cucurella’s hair would help Chelsea to a comfortable win over Southampton?
The Spanish left-back was defending Jack Stephens, Southampton’s captain, at a corner and, for whatever reason, Stephens felt compelled to tug the Chelsea player’s hair. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as the time Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero tugged on Cucurella’s locks in August 2022 but it nonetheless provided one of the game’s pivotal moments.
After having his hair pulled by Stephens, Cucurella had two options: carry on as if nothing happened or go to ground and see whether the referee takes a look. He decided to do the latter.
Tony Harringtron, the referee, was told to go and look at the VAR screen pitchside, ran back onto the pitch and sent Stephens off. Cucurella’s work was done and it was yet more evidence of him becoming Chelsea’s master of the dark arts.
Yes, he could have stayed on his feet, but by going down, he implored the referee to make a decision.
The 26-year-old has embraced becoming the pantomime villain and he was continually jeered throughout the evening at St Mary’s after Stephens’ red card — but that won’t bother him in the slightest.
Did Enzo Maresca’s changes pay off?
Maresca gambled and made seven changes to the team that beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Sunday — and for a moment, it looked as if it was a risk he shouldn’t have taken.
Only Cucurella, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo survived the cull, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez even being relegated to the bench in favour of Filip Jorgensen, who was handed his first Premier League start.
Such is the club’s squad size, Maresca has relied on two teams thus far, one for the Premier League and another for the UEFA Conference League.
“We have good players, they all deserve to play,” Maresca told Amazon Prime Video Sport before kick-off at St Mary’s.
But making seven changes in the Premier League, even against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, is a bold call. But the risk paid off and that was largely down to Southampton’s comical defending.
Christopher Nkunku scored his 12th goal in 21 matches, Joao Felix was his typical self: some fancy touches but not much else, and he also missed a great opportunity to extend Chelsea’s lead. Despite scoring, Alex Disasi had an indifferent game and Southampton singled his right flank out when it came to attacking moves.
Even though the scoreline suggests otherwise, this wasn’t the most comprehensive of Chelsea displays but Maresca should be delighted that his starting XI gamble paid off.
Christopher Nkunku scored Chelsea’s opening goal at St Mary’s (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea are upwardly mobile
In the 83rd minute, the away end at St Mary’s bellowed out “we’ve got our Chelsea back” before singing Maresca’s name. It encapsulated the mood around the club at the moment: one of optimism.
Their thumping win over Southampton took them above Arsenal and into second place, still seven points behind pace setters Liverpool.
Although a title challenge looks a tall order from this far back, the fact they have kept pace with Arsenal and are bettering a struggling Manchester City is a fantastic achievement given their struggles in recent seasons.
Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho, right, were both on target (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
They have only lost twice in 14 Premier League matches in 2024-25 — at home to Manchester City and away to Liverpool — and have accumulated eight wins.
At the very least, they are look nailed on to qualify for next year’s Champions League. But as it stands, they are the biggest threat to stopping Liverpool strolling to the Premier League title.
If they are able to navigate the Christmas period and enter 2025 still in second place, then they will be overachieving what many thought was possible before the season started.
What next for Chelsea?
Sunday, December 8: Tottenham Hotspur (away), Premier League, 4:30pm UK, 11:30am ET
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(Top photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)