Skip to content

Chelsea's 4-2 Southampton: Talking points from Blues' important Premier League win

Eden Hazard celebrates scoring Chelsea's opener against Southampton
Image: Eden Hazard celebrates scoring Chelsea's opener against Southampton

A Diego Costa double and goals from Eden Hazard and Gary Cahill secured Chelsea an important 4-2 win over Southampton on Tuesday night.

The victory extended the Blues' lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points, putting the pressure on chasers Tottenham to close the gap at Crystal Palace on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.

After seeing off Spurs in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea took another big step towards a potential double, with just five league games now standing between them and a second championship in three seasons.

Live Premier League

Here, we look at the talking points from another important win for Antonio Conte's side…

Costa and Hazard underline importance

Conte raised eyebrows when he opted to start Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham with Diego Costa and Eden Hazard on the bench. He eventually had to turn to his star duo with the game in the balance - and after helping Chelsea secure their spot in the final, Costa and Hazard underlined their importance once again on Tuesday.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch highlights of Chelsea 4-2 Southampton

There were just five minutes on the clock when Costa teed up Hazard to clip in the Blues' opener and the Belgian's trickery allowed Cesc Fabregas to cross for Costa to convert Chelsea's third shortly after the break. A sharp one-two with Hazard, followed by another with substitute Pedro, led to the Spaniard firing in goal number four.

Also See:

The pair - who were both on the scoresheet in Chelsea's 2-0 win at St Mary's in October, too - caused problems for Southampton throughout. Hazard created five chances - the joint-most he's made in a single Premier League game all season - while Costa's goal haul is now up to 20 for the season.

Live Nissan Super Sunday

In truth, they could have done even more damage to this Saints backline. Hazard should have scored a second when a no-look nudge from Costa played him in, and he chose the wrong option when declining to shoot in favour of playing a square ball towards Costa before the break.

But despite those lapses, Southampton boss Claude Puel conceded they made the difference and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: "Costa and Hazard, it was one of those days when they were unplayable".

Pressure on Spurs

Hazard told Sky Sports before the game that it was a chance for Chelsea to strike a mental blow against their title rivals Tottenham, to follow the FA Cup semi-final win by extending their advantage at the top of the Premier League to seven points and "create a bit of trouble in their minds".

Whatever impact Chelsea's victory has on Spurs' players' mentality, the onus is back on Mauricio Pochettino's men to keep pace with their London neighbours when they make the tricky trip to a back-in-form Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte hailed his players confidence and desire as they beat Southampton 4-2

Sam Allardyce's rejuvenated squad have beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea in recent weeks and Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness reckons the north London side will have to be at their best to come away with the three points they need.

"Tottenham are under so much pressure now," he said. "They would have been hoping for a negative reaction from Chelsea after the weekend. But in the bigger picture, this might be a really important game. And Crystal Palace's tails are up."

Terry's cameo, Cahill's scoring skill and defensive concerns

One week after announcing he was leaving Chelsea, legendary captain John Terry was sent on by Conte in the final stages of their win over Southampton, making his first appearance for the club since mid-February and his first Premier League outing since the start of November.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 25:  John Terry of Chelsea salutes the crowd after victory in the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford
Image: John Terry made his first Premier League appearance since November

A controlled pass and headed clearance received huge cheers from a home support eager to show their appreciation for the centre-back who reiterated his own devotion to the club in his pre-match programme notes.

There were cheers for Terry's long-time centre-back partner Gary Cahill, too, when he marked a return from sickness by heading in Chelsea's crucial second on the stroke of half-time.

It was his seventh goal in all competitions this season and left Redknapp praising his ability in the box. "He scores all types of goals," said the Sky Sports pundit. "He finishes like a centre forward."

Gary Cahill of Chelsea celebrates as he scores their second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Southampt
Image: Gary Cahill headed in a key second goal

Those conversion skills have taken Cahill to 26 Premier League goals - excluding penalty kicks, only Terry (40) has scored more among defenders in the Premier League.

However, defensively, Southampton did cause Chelsea problems at times. Both of the visitors' goals came from high-quality crosses into the box - encouragement for West Brom ahead of the Blues trip to The Hawthorns in a couple of weeks' time - while Saints also engineered several one-on-one match-ups between their counter-attacking forwards and Chelsea defenders.

Chelsea's Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard (L) celebrates with Chelsea's Spanish striker Diego Costa
Image: Hazard and Diego Costa tormented the Southampton backline

Nemanja Matic and newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year N'Golo Kante didn't make a tackle between them, and the Blues haven't kept a clean sheet now for 11 Premier League games. That record puts the pressure on Chelsea's forwards to keep on delivering.

Right now, though, Hazard, Costa and co seem fired up, on form and capable of doing just that.

Around Sky