Chelsea Thrashes Southampton 4-0; Brighton and Palace Win

Chelsea avoided putting all their hopes on Cole Palmer in their recent match. Instead, on a night where Palmer struggled to find his usual form, his Chelsea teammates took charge, securing a 4-0 victory against the Premier League’s bottom team, Southampton, Tuesday evening. The goals were provided by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella, helping Chelsea break a three-match losing streak by defeating a side set to be relegated. Southampton has a dismal total of nine points from 27 matches.

Despite not scoring, Palmer had plenty of opportunities. His clearest chance arrived in the first half when he faced a one-on-one with Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. However, his hesitation allowed Ramsdale to save the shot. Even after missing another chance in the second half, Palmer managed to laugh it off.

This dry spell marks Palmer’s longest since he transferred from Manchester City to Chelsea in September 2023, as he hasn’t scored in seven games. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca previously suggested that Palmer’s goal drought could be due to the team’s over-dependence on him. After the match, Maresca reiterated this, saying, “He should keep working, remain cheerful, and continue laughing. We are entirely satisfied with him. Going through a period without goals is normal, but persistence will lead to more goals.”

With this victory, Chelsea moved to fourth in the standings, eyeing a Champions League qualification spot, as the English Premier League may offer five places next season.

Elsewhere, Bournemouth’s downturn continued, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Brighton. This result further dented Bournemouth’s unexpected hunt for a Champions League place, despite maintaining an 11-game unbeaten streak late last year. Danny Welbeck sealed the win for Brighton in the 75th minute, mere minutes after being subbed in. Justin Kluivert equalized for Bournemouth earlier, following Joao Pedro’s penalty which opened the scoring after a foul by Kepa Arrizabalaga. A loss here sees Bournemouth drop from sixth to seventh, sharing their 43 points with another surprising top-four contender: Brighton. Brighton, bouncing back from a heavy 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, has now won four consecutive matches across all competitions.

In other fixtures, Crystal Palace delighted home fans with a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa, witnessed by England coach Thomas Tuchel. Ismaila Sarr struck twice, with additional goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah for Palace, while Morgan Rogers found the net for Villa. Meanwhile, Fulham clinched a 2-1 win at Wolverhampton, courtesy of an early minute goal by Ryan Sessegnon and a winning strike by Rodrigo Muniz.