Chelsea fans continued to chant the name of their outgoing owner Roman Abramovich despite being told by the UK government that it was “completely inappropriate”.
On the pitch, the Blues responded to their humbling Premier League defeat against Brentford and Champions League setback against Real Madrid by hitting Southampton for six on the South Coast. Marcos Alonso fired Chelsea in front early on, and it was 3-0 inside 22 minutes as Mason Mount and Timo Werner found the net. Kai Havertz made it four just after the half-hour mark, before Mount and Werner added further goals after the break.
It was an impressive result from Tuchel’s side following a hugely disappointing week in which they suffered successive heavy home defeats in the Premier League and Champions League. Yet while the side went about their business impressively, the club’s fans once again chanted the name of Abramovich despite him being sanctioned by the UK government.
The West London club are desperate to secure a new owner amid a budget crisis, with their funds dictated by the British government in the wake of the UK sanctions imposed on their owner. Those sanctions were subsequently followed by the EU, which means that his assets that are in EU territory could be taken and frozen.
Chelsea are desperate to secure new ownership as soon as possible as they continue to feel the impact of the UK government’s sanctions on Abramovich’s assets. Barclays have also suspended the club's bank account and there's a possibility the Blues could face financial armageddon between now and the summer due to the precarious situation. The football situation pales in significance to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia - although the fans continued to chant the name of Abramovich.
It is not the first time that the Blues fans have continued their chanting of Abramovich’s name after the sanctions – as a section of their support did so during a pre-match show of solidarity with Ukraine ahead of last month’s visit to Burnley.
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That led to a spokesperson of Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying : “We recognise the strength of feeling around people’s clubs but that does not excuse behaviour which is completely inappropriate at this time. I think people can show passion and support for their club without resorting to that sort of stuff.”
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel said of his side’s result: "It was a very good performance and a well deserved win. It is a tough stadium to come to but we made it look easy. In possession we were very focused so it's a very good performance and an excellent result.
"Straight away we looked focused and determined to turn things around. We were hungry in challenges and we were always dangerous. We created a lot of chances to decide the match very early. We wanted to play with the same attitude but we have a lot of matches in the legs so we managed the game after that. It is easier when you lead than when you are down but it was a good mentality."
