Chelsea once again looked lost to start, but eventually found their way with three goals in 20 minutes to end the first half, and a 4-0 victory over last-place Southampton, at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
WATCH – Chelsea v Southampton full match replay
Having snapped their two-game losing slide, the Blues (46 points) are back up to 4th place in the Premier League table with both Manchester City and Newcastle (44 each) idle until Wednesday. Saints (20th - 9 points) were resilient early and didn’t allow Chelsea their first shot of the game until the 21 minutes, but it was an all too familiar story after the first goal went in and the floodgates failed.
Christopher Nkunku headed home the opening goal from right on the goal line after Tosin Adarabioyo flicked on Enzo Fernandez’s corner kick in the 24th minute, and then Nkunku turned provider for Pedro Neto to make it 2-0 in the 36th. Following suit, Neto then set up Levi Colwill by putting a deft free kick on his head in the 44th. It was 3-0 most of the rest of the way, until Marc Cucurella found himself on the ball all by his lonesome near the penalty spot and slammed it past Aaron Ramsdale for no. 4 in the 78th minute.
Cole Palmer’s goal drought continues despite ample opportunity
7 shots, 3 on target, 1.07 xG, 0 goals. That’s seven straight games (six in the PL) without a goal for Palmer (and 15 without an assist). On one hand, he hasn’t stopped shooting which many would see as a positive sign and an indicator that his luck will eventually turn. On the other hand, he was in on goal, 1v1 with Ramsdale, 10 yards out in the 23rd minute. It was the kind of chance that, at his confident best, Palmer might rainbow the ball over the goalkeeper, settle it between his shoulder blades and walk it over the line with a satisfied smile. But instead, he hit the ball right at Ramsdale and the look on his face was more one of “what do I have to do to score?” Palmer is now officially underperforming his non-penalty xG numbers on the season (by a minuscule 0.3) with important games against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford to come over the next month.
Player ratings - Chelsea vs Southampton
What’s next?
- Copenhagen vs Chelsea — Thursday, 12:45 pm ET (Europa Conference League)
- Chelsea vs Leicester — Sunday, March 9, 10 am ET (next PL fixture)
- Liverpool vs Southampton — Saturday, March 8, 10 am ET (Premier League)
Chelsea vs Southampton live updates - by Andy Edwards
Chelsea vs Southampton final score: 4-0
Goalscorers: Christopher Nkunku (24'), Pedro Neto (37'), Levi Colwill (45'), Marc Cucurella (78')
GOAL! Chelsea 4-0 Southampton: Cucurella slams home another (78')
A Southampton corner turns into a Chelsea goal as Marc Cucurella fires home on the counter for 4-0. 🔵
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 25, 2025
📺 Peacock | #CHESOU pic.twitter.com/X9Nw7WdsAV
GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Southampton: Colwill heads home Neto’s free kick (45')
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Southampton: Neto lashes another past Ramsdale (37')
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Southampton: Nkunku heads home from the doorstep (24')
Chelsea starting lineup
Jorgensen - Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella - Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer - Neto, Sancho, Nkunku
Southampton starting lineup
Ramsdale - Bree, Bella-Kotchap, Aribo - Sugawara, Downes, Smallbone, Walker-Peters - Fernandes, Sulemana, Onuachu
How to watch Chelsea vs Southampton live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3:15pm ET Tuesday (February 25)
Venue: Stamford Bridge — London
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Enzo Maresca saw yet another goalkeeping error condemn his side to defeat, as Chelsea chucked away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 at Aston Villa on Saturday. The Blues are struggling in attack with Jackson out injured and Cole Palmer not looking like his usual self. Chelsea have won just two of their last 10 games in the Premier League but Maresca’s side are still in the top four race.
Southampton sit rock bottom of the table and have lost eight of their nine games since Ivan Juric replaced Russell Martin in December. They were hammered 4-0 at home by Brighton at the weekend and are 13 points from safety with 12 games to go. It’s all about playing for pride and trying to get some momentum for next season in the Championship.
Chelsea team news, focus
We could see Tosin come in at center back due to Chalobah’s injury, while Sanchez may come back in after Jorgensen’s mistake. Sancho is likely to start but there aren’t many options after that with injuries piling up.
OUT: Noni Madueke (thigh), Romeo Lavia (thigh), Nicolas Jackson (thigh), Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Benoit Badiashile (thigh), Omari Kellyman (thigh), Marc Guiu (groin) | QUESTIONABLE: Trevoh Chalobah
Southampton team news, focus
There has been an acceptance from Juric that he will have to chance his tactics from man-to-man marking all over the pitch. Expect Saints to play a 4-5-1 and try to make this difficult with long balls up to Onuachu up top.
QUESTIONABLE: Ryan Fraser (undisclosed), Adam Lallana (hamstring), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (ankle)
Chelsea vs Southampton prediction
This feels like a game where Chelsea are going to be very angry and finally put away their chances. Saints are giving up so many high quality chance each game and they are just trying to get to the end of the season. Chelsea 3-1 Southampton.
