Chelsea have bounced back from the 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in spectacular fashion. Kai Havertz, who led by example against the Spanish giants at Stamford Bridge, continued his rich vein of form as the Blues cruised past Southampton 6-0.
Marcos Alonso opened the scoring for Thomas Tuchel's side and, momentarily, Mason Mount doubled Chelsea's lead on the south coast. Timo Werner threw his hat in the ring five minutes later before Havertz then netted the west Londoners' fourth of the tie.
Goals continued to flood St Mary's as Werner found his second of the afternoon inside a few minutes of the restart. Mount then netted the Blues' sixth of the afternoon before Ralph Hasenhuttl finally reined in his troops and surrendered a six-goal demolition.
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Edouard Mendy
In the opening period, Mendy had very little to do. And that was something he almost certainly appreciated, given he came into the game with his place in question after his error against Real Madrid. The second half was similarly quiet for the Senegal international, although he did have to make one fine stop to deny Che Adams. 7
Andreas Christensen
The Dane was given the runaround by Vinicius Junior in midweek but kept his place on the right of the back three and strolled through the first half as Southampton offered very little threat. Christensen slotted into the middle of the defence midway through the second period after Thiago Silva was brought off and remained composed to ensure Chelsea kept just their second clean sheet in their last five matches. 7
Thiago Silva
There was a feeling pre-match that Silva may be rested. Given that he has played the second-most minutes of any Chelsea outfield player this season, that was no surprise. Yet the Brazilian once again started and eased through the contest as the Blues racked up goal after goal. The 37-year-old was brought off in the 63rd minute to keep him fresh for the Champions League quarter-final second leg. 7
Antonio Rudiger
Much like his defensive colleagues, Rudiger had very little to concern himself with during the game. However, he did make sure he got involved when Chelsea had possession. A couple of surges forward from the German and a trademark shot from distance that went wide. 7
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
There were a few eyebrows raised when the teams lined up, and it became clear Loftus-Cheek was being deployed at right wing-back, Yet there was no need for concern as the 26-year-old dominated down the right flank. His cross led to the opening Chelsea goal, and he linked well with Mason Mount throughout. The academy graduate should've had an assist to his name as he teed up Timo Werner for the header, which he rattled against the crossbar. 8
Mateo Kovacic
On Wednesday, the Croatian should've started in the Chelsea midfield against Real Madrid. That mistake was rectified by Tuchel this afternoon at St Mary's. Kovacic wasn't quite at his best – there were a couple of occasions he could've released the ball earlier – but he broke up more than one promising Southampton attack and almost escaped pressure on more than one occasion. Surely he is nailed on to start in the Bernabeu. 7
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N'Golo Kante
In midweek, Kante was brought off after an ineffective 45-minute display. He was far better at St Mary's. Kante was an energetic presence in the opening 45 minutes and helped ensure Chelsea did most of their work in the Southampton half. After the break, he almost got on the scoresheet with a driving run forward and attempted dink over Fraser Forster. Unfortunately for the Frenchman, his effort was saved by Werner tapping home the rebound. 7
Marcos Alonso
With Cesar Azpilicueta absent having tested positive for Covid and Ben Chilwell absent due to his knee injury, there was no other option at left wing-back but Alonso. Yet the Spaniard justified his start with a goal inside the opening ten minutes after being teed up by Mount. Alonso wasn't called into any major defensive action and almost grabbed a second in the second period with a shot across goal. It will be interesting to see if he starts in the Bernabeu. 8
Mason Mount
The England international revealed a new hairstyle pre-game, and it appeared to make the difference. Or perhaps it was just playing Southampton, given his Portsmouth connections. Either way, Mount was brilliant at St Mary's, playing behind Kai Havertz and Werner. He teed up Alonso's opener and then got on the scoresheet himself with a fine long-range drive. Mount then added his second after the interval. His off-the-ball work was also flawless. This is very much a return to form. 9
Kai Havertz
Romelu Lukaku missed out due to an Achilles injury, so Havertz was again given the responsibility of leading the Chelsea attack, something he has done brilliantly in recent weeks. The German only played 45 minutes but was elegant in possession and tireless without it. He got on the scoresheet, too, with a simple finish after Werner struck the post after a mazy run. 7
Timo Werner
If only the German forward could play Southampton every week. Werner struck the woodwork three times at St Mary's and also had a good chance denied by Forster, but he also managed to find the back of the net on two occasions. The first came after he was given the entire Southampton half to run into, and the second was a close-range finish. Werner has now scored more Premier League goals against Southampton (5) than every other top-flight side (4), but whether he starts on Tuesday night is debatable. 8
Substitutes
Christian Pulisic (for Kai Havertz, 45)
The American was given 45 minutes to add his name to the list of scorers, but he didn't quite have the desired impact. 7
Reece James (for Thiago Silva, 63)
He played on the right of the back three of the final half-hour and wasn't troubled. 7
Hakim Ziyech (for Mason Mount, 69)
He didn't get too much of the ball as Chelsea eased through the last 20 minutes. 6
