Chelsea 3-1 Southampton: Saints fall to Blues in rainy London

Chelsea struck two late goals to take all three points at Stamford Bridge against 10 man Southampton on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

With that win, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea move to the top of the Premier League table.

Chelsea dominated most of the play in the first half and their pressure paid off early when Trevoh Chalobah put the hosts ahead inside 10 minutes.

The Blues continued to dictate most of the play and had goals from Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner chalked off for offside and a foul in the build up respectively.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl changed system for the second half, substituting Theo Walcott for Ibrahima Diallo.

With the score still at 1-0, Saints had to respond to stay in the game and they looked the better side in the early stages of the second half.

Saints then had the perfect chance to level the scoreline when former Chelsea prospect Tino Livramento was felled in the penalty area by Ben Chilwell.

Captain James Ward-Prowse stepped up and promptly dispatched the penalty, sending Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy the wrong way.

At 1-1, it was anyone’s game. That was until Ward-Prowse was sent off for a tackle on Jorginho.

The England international was initially booked by referee Martin Atkinson, but changed that to a red card after it went to VAR with 13 minutes left to play.

With a one-man advantage over Southampton, Chelsea looked irresistible and soon re-took the lead.

Werner, who was perhaps unlucky to have his first goal on the day disallowed, got his first Premier League goal of the season proper on 84 minutes.

Chilwell then secured the Chelsea win when he volleyed in their third for a bizarre goal. Lukaku and Cesar Azpilicueta both hit the woodwork within seconds of each other. The Spaniard’s effort then rebounded to Chilwell, who volleyed the ball goalward.

Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved the shot, but behind the goal line. Goal line technology alerted referee Atkinson that it was a goal on 89 minutes, sealing a Chelsea victory.

There were some positive signs for Southampton as Hasenhuttl’s side looked good in the second half at 1-1 up until Ward-Prowse’s red card.

However, nothing can dress up the fact that Saints are still winless in the Premier League after seven games.

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek (Barkley 83’), Kovacic (Jorginho 73’), Chilwell; Werner, Hudson-Odoi (Mount 65’); Lukaku

Unused subs: Kepa, Alonso, Christensen, Saul, Ziyech, Havertz

Goals: Chalobah, Werner, Chilwell

Bookings: Thiago Silva

Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy; Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Peters; Walcott (Diallo 45’), Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Tella (Djenepo 73’); Redmond (Elyounoussi 87’), A. Armstrong

Unused subs: Forster, Lyanco, Long, Adams, Perraud, S. Armstrong

Goals: Ward-Prowse

Bookings: Salisu, Romeu, Djenepo, Ward-Prowse (sent off)