REECE IS THE WORD

James the toast of Stamford Bridge after firing Tuchel’s men into the quarter-finals

REECE JAMES was the Chelsea shootout hero, scoring the crucial spot-kick to send Thomas Tuchel’s men into the quarter-finals.

The last-16 stage of this competition has been bad news for the Blues, with four exits in the previous six seasons.

But James ended Southampton’s brave resistance, with Marcos Alonso, Callum Hudson-odoi and Ben Chilwell also scoring to seal a 4-3 win on pens after a 1-1 draw.

Theo Walcott and Will Smallbone, enduring a wretched night after ending his long injury lay-off, missed for the Saints.

Earlier Kai Havertz had put Chelsea ahead just before half-time but straight after the interval Che Adams levelled for the gutsy visitors.

Chelsea were again without their £150million strike duo Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.

The pair, though, may well not have started anyway in this competition – a lowly fourth in the priority list this season.

Tuchel made six changes from the team that thrashed Norwich 7-0 in the Premier League at the weekend. But even that number was beaten by the nine changes made by Ralph Hasenhuttl for the Saints. Only Mohammed Salisu and Ibrahima Diallo survived from the draw with Burnley.

The Austrian coach was returning to the ‘scene of the crime’ in south-west London after a personally expensive trip to the Bridge earlier this month.

One comment too many about VAR official Mike Dean, whose review led to a red card for the still-suspended James Ward-prowse, saw him fined £20,000 by the FA for improper conduct.

Southampton’s stars in the last two Premier League games, Armando Broja and teen defender Tino Livramento, are both products of the Blues academy. But Albanian striker Broja, on loan at St Mary’s, was ineligible against his parent club, and full-back Livramento only made the bench.

Saul, getting only a third start for Chelsea since his loan move from Atletico Madrid, forced a flying save from Fraser Forster after six minutes as he headed Ross Barkley’s cross goalwards.

And Havertz curled a 25-yard effort just wide after 16 minutes. The German forward then saw Forster save smartly as his fierce shot headed for the top corner.

For Saints, striker Adam Armstrong, restored to the line-up, saw a header saved by Kepa at the far post – and the goalkeeper repeated the trick from

Stuart Armstrong. Chelsea deservedly took the lead just before the break. Hakim Ziyech swung the ball over from a corner on the left and Havertz climbed highest to head past Forster.

Having somehow missed out in the weekend spree against the Canaries, it was a sweet moment for the forward.

But within two minutes of the restart battling Southampton were level.

Kyle Walker-peters’ shot should have been blocked but the ball went straight through him and Adams tapped home the gift.

Forster flew across his goal again to save from Saul – and then at the other end sub Smallbone with his first touch saw a header saved by Kepa.

And with two saves in stoppage time from Lyanco and Mohammed Salisu, Kepa earned Chelsea the shoot-out.

YOU LITTLE BLUE-TY Reece James is mobbed by team-mates after firing the winning penalty HECTOR NUNNS