Chelsea moved back into the top four despite a run of results so troubling that their fans were protesting before this game. It is unlikely that their concerns will be quashed entirely despite this comfortable win over Southampton. If Spurs can be called Dr Tottenham for their ability to provide a cure for ailing teams, then Ivan Juric’s side are surely Mr Southampton, as good at the job as the most skilled surgeons or consultants who drop the designation of lowly GPs.
It was an encouraging performance for Chelsea in many ways, the variety of goalscorers, the lack of any of their familiar losses of concentration or goalkeeping ricks. Yet in light of the meagre opponents it was hard not to dwell on a couple of negatives. Another anonymous performance from Jadon Sancho in a game he should have prospered in, and the continuing struggles of Cole Palmer. The England forward is laudably keen to stay involved in everything Chelsea do in attack but it is now six weeks since his last goal and he has not registered an assist since December 1.
Full report to follow...
10:40 PM GMT
Enzo Maresca’s reaction
We all needed that. We were in a bad run, a bad moment, which was frustrating because the performance was there in almost every game.
[On Christopher Nkunku] I’m happy with him, but we know that he can give more. We have to try to understand him: he’s not a No9, he’s not a winger but he has played many games there. He’s an attacking midfielder. The problem is that we already have Cole there.
We need more threat in behind so that’s why we’ve tried Pedro as the No9.
The process is there. It’s normal to go through bad moments - the fans have to trust the players, they are fantastic and they are fully engaged.
[On the race for the Champions League] It will be up and down for the rest of the season. We need to be ready.
[On Cole Palmer] Every player goes through bad moments. It’s normal. He is a human being, he is missing chances. You cannot expect him to play all the time like he did in the first half of the season. He’s happy, he’s okay. It’s how you react. Keep calm, keep working, be happy and enjoy your football.
10:30 PM GMT
Pedro Neto talks to TNT Sports
It was really important after only two wins [in 10 games]. It’s all part of the process, learning how to deal with these situations, so it was important for us to keep going.
[How much are you enjoying your new role?] To be honest, a lot – I don’t have to run back as much! I want to help the team, that’s the most important thing.
At Wolves we usually faced a high block. When I came here teams were in a low block so I’ve been developing my play in small spaces.
I like the challenge of playing against big centre-halves. It’s something I enjoy and I want to improve it.
This club belongs in the Champions League.
10:25 PM GMT
Clean sheet
10:16 PM GMT
Levi Colwill’s reaction
We needed a reaction and hopefully we can pick up our form now.
Me and [Christopher Nkunku] are close and I’m so happy for him. I know how desperate he is to do well.
[On his goal] I’m so happy to score. I have some good friends who are Southampton fans so I’ll give them a bit of stick.
[On Tyrique George] He’s sharp. Very, very sharp. He did really well today and I’m proud of him for that assist.
10:08 PM GMT
FT: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
It’s too early to say whether this is a return to form for Chelsea - but it’s definitely a return to the top four, at least for the next 24 hours, and that was the most important thing tonight.
Stamford Bridge was a nervous place for the first quarter of the game; then Christopher Nkunku scored the opening goal and the match turned into a stroll for Chelsea.
Pedro Neto thrashed in the second, Levi Colwill headed the third shortly before half-time and the excellent Marc Cucurella rounded off the second.
The only downside for Chelsea was some unusually imprecise finishing from Cole Palmer, who looked desperate to end his mini-drought in front of goal. With his ability, it shouldn’t take long.
10:06 PM GMT
90+2 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Four minutes of added time. Palmer is fouled 25 yards from goal and takes the free-kick himself. Ramsdale dives to his right to push it away, a relatively comfortable save.
10:05 PM GMT
90 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Mheuka’s first touch in the Premier League is a strong far-post header from Palmer’s corner that is comfortably saved by Ramsdale. That would have been some moment.
10:04 PM GMT
89 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
A stinging shot from Fernandez is pushed away well by Rsmsdale, diving to his left.
Chelsea bring on the 17-year-old Shim Mheuka in place of Enzo Fernandez.
Enzo Fernandez vs. Southampton:
88% pass accuracy
7 chances created
3 big chances created
4/5 long balls completed
5/5 duels won
2 tackles wonWhat a performance ???? pic.twitter.com/nU27AL8Y1J
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 25, 2025
10:02 PM GMT
88 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Chelsea are happy to play keepball, an understandable indulgence after such a tricky run of form.
09:59 PM GMT
Watch: Cucurella makes it 4-0
09:58 PM GMT
84 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Southampton substitution Cameron Archer comes on for Mateus Fernandes.
09:58 PM GMT
83 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Double substitution for Chelsea Josh Acheampong and the debutant Mathis Amougou replace Christopher Nkunku and Moises Caicedo.
09:57 PM GMT
82 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Palmer, at a tight angle, lashes a shot into the side netting.
09:55 PM GMT
79 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0
Manning has a shot well blocked, I think by Colwill, after superb play from Sulemana on the left. When Sulemana is good, he’s very, very good...
09:53 PM GMT
Goal!
78 min: Chelsea 4 Southampton 0 (Cucurella) Marc Cucurella scores after fine work from the substitute Tyrique George. After a quick break following a Southampton corner, George got to the byline on the right and arrowed a cutback to Cucurella near the penalty spot. He took a touch and whacked a shot back across Ramsdale with his left foot.
09:48 PM GMT
73 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Nkunku and Caicedo have shots blocked in the space of five seconds. While the game is petering out, the introduction of George has given Chelsea a bit more attacking impetus.
09:46 PM GMT
71 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Chelsea are now playing with Cole Palmer as a false No9. We focus on his ability with the ball, understandably enough, but he’s making some excellent off-the-ball runs.
09:44 PM GMT
69 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
George almost scores straight away, blasting wide of the near post from Fernandez’s angled pass.
09:42 PM GMT
68 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Double substitution for Chelsea Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Tyrique George, one of the few bright spots in the recent league defeat at Brighton, replace Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto, who again impressed in his new role at centre forward.
09:42 PM GMT
67 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
The resulting free-kick, taken by Manning, is headed over the stretching Bella-Kotchap.
09:41 PM GMT
66 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Caicedo is booked for a needless late tackle on Fernandes.
09:38 PM GMT
64 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Sancho plays an excellent through ball to Neto, who gets his feet in a tangle and wastes a very good chance to score his second.
09:37 PM GMT
62 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Southampton keep the ball for the best part of a minute. Aribo strides forward, plays a neat one two with Sulemana but then overhits his cross.
09:33 PM GMT
59 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Double substitution for Southampton Ryan Manning and Tyler Dibling replace Paul Onuachu and the injured Kyle Walker-Peters.
09:31 PM GMT
57 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Another chance for Palmer, who leans back and thumps Nkunku’s cross over the bar from 15 yards. It’s fascinating to see such a brilliant, confident player go through a spell like this. It won’t last long.
09:30 PM GMT
56 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Bournemouth have lost 2-1 at Brighton, which means this result will move Chelsea back up to fourth for at least 24 hours. Manchester City and Newcastle play tomorrow night away to Spurs and Liverpool respectively.
09:30 PM GMT
55 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Palmer, on the edge of the area, makes just enough space for a shot that takes a slight deflection and is comfortably saved by Ramsdale. Palmer is normally so relaxed but tonight he looks impatient to score.
09:28 PM GMT
53 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Chelsea’s players are enjoying the opportunity to get on the ball and play without pressure. After a long spell of possession, Nkunku blasts over from distance.
09:25 PM GMT
51 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Nkunku’s header is turned over by Ramsdale, a comfortable save. It’s a matter of how many Chelsea score.
09:23 PM GMT
49 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Sulemana zips past Gusto, who recovers to make an excellently judged challenge. It was in the area so he had to get that right.
09:20 PM GMT
46 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Southampton have made a half-time substitution in defence: Taylor Harwood-Bellis for James Bree.
09:06 PM GMT
HT: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Chelsea are enjoying a nice, restorative evening. They started nervously but Christopher Nkunku’s opening goal changed the mood and they’ve been in total control since then. Pedro Neto and Levi Colwill also scored, while Cole Palmer missed two or three chances he would usually take. Getting him on the scoresheet is Chelsea’s mission in the second half.
09:03 PM GMT
45+2 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0
Onuachu is booked for a lunge at Fernandez.
09:01 PM GMT
Goal!
44 min: Chelsea 3 Southampton 0 (Colwill) Game over. Neto’s dangerous free-kick is headed emphatically into the net by Colwill at the far post. He timed his run perfectly to get between Onuachy and Aribo and thump a header past Ramsdale.
08:59 PM GMT
40 min: Chelsea 2 Southampton 0
Chelsea not especially good value for their lead, Palmer’s three spurned chances left more of an impression than either of their goals, but Southampton so pathetically vulnerable through the middle of their defence that this score could be whatever Chelsea fancy. There is still the lingering fear that their innate flakiness will rear its head, and although he has also missed a couple of decent opportunities Onuachu is an agent of chaos and carries a dim threat up front for Saints.
08:55 PM GMT
Goal!
36 min: Chelsea 2 Southampton 0 (Neto) It’s a familiar story for Southampton, who started well but are now facing another heavy defeat. A poor pass from Downes was cut out by Cucurella, who found Nkunku 25 yards from goal. He waited for Neto’s run and played a nice reverse pass that Neto rapped past Ramsdale at the near post. That’s a terrific finish from a player who looks a natural at centre-forward.
08:51 PM GMT
34 min: Chelsea 1 Southampton 0
Chance for Chelsea! Sancho moves inside from the right and stabs a neat pass to Palmer in the area. He controls it beautifully on the move but sidefoots just wide of the far post. It almost turned into a great pass for Fernandez, who couldn’t quite reach the ball on the stretch.
08:49 PM GMT
32 min: Chelsea 1 Southampton 0
Fine save by Jorgensen! Sulemana beats Gusto easily on the left and stands up an inviting cross towards Onuachu at the far post. His powerful header is clawed away dramatically by Jorgensen, leaping to his left. That’s an excellent save.
08:47 PM GMT
30 min: Chelsea 1 Southampton 0
Bella-Kotchap blocks an off-the-ball run from Neto, who goes down holding his jaw. A risible dive that doesn’t interest Stockley Park’s finest.
08:46 PM GMT
29 min: Chelsea 1 Southampton 0
That goal has calmed the nerves among the crowd, which were growing with every Southampton attack.
08:45 PM GMT
Watch: Nkunku puts Chelsea in front
08:41 PM GMT
Goal!
24 min: Chelsea 1 Southampton 0 (Nkunku) It was a temporary reprieve for Southampton. Fernandez’s outswinging corner was headed across goal by Tosin and headed in at the far post, who did well to fight his way in front of Smallbone.
He celebrates by blowing a balloon, as he did when he scored the winner at Bournemouth earlier in the season.
08:40 PM GMT
23 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Fine save by Ramsdale! Southampton lose the ball in a dangerous area. Fernandez plays another excellent pass through to Palmer, whose shot is superbly saved by the outrushing Ramsdale.
Palmer could have given Nkunku an open goal but decided to shoot himself. When you do that, you’d better score.
08:39 PM GMT
22 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Palmer, in the D, shoots well wide after a lovely turn and pass from Fernandez. It wasn’t a great finish by his standards but Palmer’s movement has been sharp so far.
08:37 PM GMT
20 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Palmer moves dangerously past a Southampton defender in the area, only for Bella-Kotchap to make a perfectly timed challenge.
08:35 PM GMT
19 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
The atmosphere is starting to turn, particularly when Jorgensen has time on the ball. He and the defenders are clearly following Enzo Maresca’s instruction but some of the home fans aren’t having it.
08:33 PM GMT
17 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Onuachu’s long-range shot is easily saved by Jorgensen, but there are groans moments later when Jorgensen plays a short pass to Fernandez. That’s not going to help his confidence.
08:30 PM GMT
14 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Onuachu runs onto a good pass from Smallbone and wallops wide of the near post from a tight angle. Southampton look far too good to have only nine points.
08:28 PM GMT
12 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Downes makes a terrific tackle on Cucurella in the area after fine play from first Palmer and then Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea are starting to look dangerous.
08:26 PM GMT
10 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Sancho runs at Walker-Peters and flashes a wicked ball right across the face of goal. “Where’s the No9?” pleads Rio Ferdinand on TNT Sports.
08:25 PM GMT
9 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Southampton have started the game pretty well. For a team with only nine points they look surprisingly confident, as they did in their unfortunate defeat at Old Trafford last month.
08:23 PM GMT
6 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Bree’s dangerous cross is taken off the head of Onuachu by Tosin, an important intervention at the far post.
08:22 PM GMT
5 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
Sulemana, who played so well at Old Trafford last month, has his first run at Tosin on the Southampton left. Tosin leans on him and Sulemana goes over right on the edge of the area; not enough for a foul.
08:21 PM GMT
4 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
A slow start, nothing to report. Southampton haven’t come to park the bus though; they’re trying to press Chelsea high up the field where possible.
08:18 PM GMT
1 min: Chelsea 0 Southampton 0
They’re underway at Stamford Bridge. Pedro Neto, so impressive at centre-forward against Aston Villa, has started up front again. Christopher Nkunku is on the left with Jadon Sancho on the right.
08:08 PM GMT
A reminder of the teams
Chelsea (possible 4-2-3-1) Jorgensen; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Pedro Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Nkunku.
Subs: Sanchez, Dewsbury-Hall, James, Wesley Fofana, George, Acheampong, Amougou, Samuels-Smith, Mheuka.
Southampton (possible 3-4-2-1) Ramsdale; Bree, Bella-Kotchap, Aribo,;Sugawara, Smallbone, Downes, Walker-Peters; Fernandes, Sulemana; Onuachu.
Subs: McCarthy, Manning, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Wood-Gordon, Archer, Gronbaek, Dibling, Welington.
Referee Thomas Bramall (Sheffield)
08:03 PM GMT
Sprint star Tebogo joins stars at Stamford Bridge
The usual dizzying array of stars milling around Stamford Bridge this evening. Peter Crouch out on the pitch with Joe Cole for TNT, Rio Ferdinand milling around too, Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who won gold in the men’s 200m at the Paris Olympics, is by the dugouts posing with a personalised Chelsea shirt, saw Mark Schwarzer grant a selfie request to an undercover Fulham fan in the press room and Martin Keown elbowed me in the queue to get in. It was a very mild brush against my arm and he apologised, in fairness. I stayed on my feet because no one wants to see a game decided by an early red card.
07:57 PM GMT
Enzo Maresca’s pre-match thoughts
Jadon [Sancho] has been working well so we want to give him some minutes.
I don’t trust [that this is a home banker]. Every game is dangerous. They are very aggressive, they play man-to-man and it will be a tough game.
07:52 PM GMT
Nkunku or Neto up front for Chelsea?
A slight sense of panic in the team selections of Ivan Juric lately. The front three has been rotated repeatedly and tonight the tombola has spat out Onuachu, Sulemana and Fernandes in some arrangement, a grouping last seen against Newcastle in a 3-1 defeat 10 days ago. In the other three of their last four games, three entirely different combinations have been called upon. Two of which did not manage a goal. Armel Bella-Kotchap starts his first league game of the season with Jan Bednarek injured.
Chelsea drop Reece James for Jadon Sancho and draft in Tosin for the injured Trevoh Chalobah, who deputised reasonably at Villa after Chalobah’s injury on Saturday. All eyes on who starts up top. Looks like it will be Nkunku, given Sancho’s presence, which is a surprise given how well Neto moonlighted as the centre forward in Birmingham. No room on the goalkeeping naughty step in Cobham, so Jorgensen keeps his place in goal.
07:36 PM GMT
Early goal at Molineux
There are three 7.30pm kick-offs in the Premier League, and Fulham are already 1-0 up away to Wolves.
Get all the latest news with Kieran Crichard’s live blog.
07:12 PM GMT
Southampton team news
Ivan Juric makes five changes from the 4-0 defeat at home to Brighton.
In Yukinari Sugawara, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Flynn Downes, Will Smallbone and Onuachu
Out Jan Bednarek, Wellington, Tyler Dibling, Lesley Ugochukwu and Cameron Archer
07:05 PM GMT
Chelsea team news
Filip Jorgensen keeps his place in the Chelsea team. There are two changes from the side that started at Villa Park: Jadon Sancho replaces Reece James, which means a rejig in midfield and attack, and Tosin Adarabioyo replaces the injured Trevor Chalobah in defence.
07:02 PM GMT
Chelsea in a nine-horse Champions League race
By Sam Dean
The Premier League is expected to receive five Champions League places next season, and it could be argued that more than half the division could legitimately be targeting those spots. After all, only seven points separate fifth-placed Newcastle United from 11th-placed Brentford.
Assuming that Liverpool and Arsenal finish first and second, there are therefore three Champions League places up for grabs for nine teams – and possibly even 10 teams, if Tottenham Hotspur can produce a late charge.
Here, Telegraph Sport assesses which sides are best placed to compete for a place in Europe’s premier competition.
06:57 PM GMT
Maresca unworried by Palmer’s form
By Ian McCullough
Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea are over-reliant on Cole Palmer but is unconcerned by the England playmaker’s dip in form.
Maresca’s side have slipped to seventh following successive defeats to Brighton and Aston Villa and have taken just nine points from their least 10 Premier League games.
Palmer broke a 23-year-old club record for the most Premier League goals in a calendar year when he scored his 26th goal of 2024 against Fulham on Boxing Day – a strike that marked his 51st goal involvement in his 51st game for the Blues.
But since finding the net in that 2-1 defeat by Marco Silva’s side, the former Manchester City player has scored just twice and not registered an assist in 13 games or a goal in six.
It is the first time since his £40m move from City 18 months ago that Palmer has struggled for form but Maresca said it’s unfair to pin all of Chelsea’s recent struggles on the 22-year-old’s shoulders.
“I’m not concerned about Cole because Cole is a human being and during the season he can have some moments where he struggles a little bit more,” Maresca said.
“The problem is probably that we rely on Cole for everything and I’ve said since we started the season we need to rely on the team. For sure we need big players, top players like Cole, but we are not worried about Cole at all.”
Palmer missed two gilt-edged chances in the recent defeats to Villa and Brighton but Maresca has no intention of resting him after he stormed a recent test at the club’s Cobham training ground to determine the fitness of his squad.
“Every six or seven months we do a physical test,” Maresca said. “We did it in the pre-season. We did it last week. And he was, out of all the squad, the strongest one, the one that ‘won’ the test.
“That shows his desire not only on the ball. He is working hard. He is doing fantastic. But because everyone is relying on Cole, people see Cole as always the solution. But the solution has to be the team.
“The other day (at Villa) he had a great chance, but in every game we expect from him a goal or an assist. In this moment probably his performance also reflects a little bit the team’s performances that we struggle to score goals. We need to be a little bit more clinical.”
Chelsea will still be without Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Marc Guiu for the visit of bottom club Southampton tonight and are also unable to call on Trevoh Chalobah who was forced off with a leg injury at Villa Park on Saturday.
The absence of Jackson means another start up front for Christopher Nkunku, who has not scored since that win over the Saints before Christmas, and Maresca is hopeful the visit of the leakiest defence in the league will help kick-start his season.
“Christo didn’t play a lot the first six months,” said Maresca. “Now in the last three official games he’s started all the games and hopefully from now on he can help us in terms of numbers.”
06:47 PM GMT
‘Get out Clearlake!’
At what point does a disgruntled section of the fanbase become representative of them as a whole? I would suggest we are some way from that threshold at Stamford Bridge this evening, where around 200 Chelsea fans are brandishing banners criticising their owners ahead of the game against Southampton.
The mood is unequivocal: Clearlake and co. are being ordered to “get out” of the club. The messaging and reasoning is a little more complicated. “Enough is enough” was printed on one banner, which is the sort of rhetoric you might associate with a club who had been relegated twice in a row or placed into administration, not one struggling to hold onto leads in the Premier League which is still in with a reasonable chance of clinching the fifth Champions League spot.
“We want our Chelsea back” is one of the songs being sung, but which Chelsea is that? The patchy Chelsea of the ‘80s and ‘90s that many protesting will remember or, perhaps, the ‘00s and ‘10s incarnations which won everything in sight?
Things clouded further by the chants in support of Roman Abramovich which is understandable given what he did for the club but might be seen as a bit tin-eared by the many people around the world who consider his country a pariah state.
Nevertheless there were as many positive pro-Chelsea songs as angry ones and overall the vibe was good-natured. One to watch if somehow Chelsea lose tonight against one of the worst Premier League teams in living memory.
06:44 PM GMT
Roman(cing) Abramovich
Here’s some chanting of the club’s much-missed-it-seems former owner.
06:38 PM GMT
Our man on the scene
Here’s our man Thom Gibbs from Stamford Bridge.
Maybe 200 at the anti-ownership protest outside Stamford Bridge, several dozen more filming, and suspect I am part of the problem. A lot of pro Chelsea and Roman Abramovich songs, also several calling Todd Boehly a rude word. pic.twitter.com/Myo20ePgT0
— Thom Gibbs (@thomgibbs) February 25, 2025
06:35 PM GMT
Protests at the Bridge
Welcome to this evening’s live blog covering Chelsea v Southampton, where it’s fair to say things are getting a bit lively.
Fans are protesting against the direction the club is taking under their owners.
