BLUES ARE REAL DEAL
Chelsea hit top form for Madrid as Saints suffer
NORMAL order was restored as Chelsea warmed up for their battle at the Bernabeu in blistering fashion.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel had demanded a return to winning ways following two hefty home defeats in less than a week to Brentford and Real Madrid.
And his previously faltering stars answered that call by running riot on the south coast against pathetic Southampton.
Timo Werner and Mason Mount both scored twice as Chelsea, four up at the break, smashed six of the best to lighten Tuchel’s mood before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Pre-match Tuchel revealed he had been “very clear” in a team crisis meeting. Forget the takeover troubles. They are not an excuse. That was the gist of his message.
It did not fall on deaf ears and after this romp the German ordered more of the same in Spain, where his European champions must overturn a 3-1 deficit.
Tuchel said: “It was necessary to turn things around after those five days and the moment to tell the truth – myself included.
“Obviously, everybody took it the right way. We turned up here in an impressive manner. Both defensively and in attack.
“Now it’s time to move on and take this forward.”
Tuchel (right) made four changes from the line-up soundly trounced by Real.
Werner, Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were recalled while £100million-misfit
Romelu Lukaku and skipper Cesar Azpilicueta were missing, through injury and Covid respectively.
The Saints pack was also shuffled. With on-loan Chelsea hitman Armando Broja unable to face his parent club, there was a rare opportunity for Adam Armstrong to lead the line. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men had last won in the league in late February, taking one point from a possible 12.
Just the tonic for the bruised Blues, who started brightly.
Firstly, Werner, whose last league goal was in October, hit the post and then headed LoftusCheek’s centre against the bar. In between, Kai Havertz blazed over.
The breakthrough came after eight minutes courtesy of Mount setting up Alonso to hammer in low.
Another eight minutes later and Loftus-Cheek’s cross was deflected to Mount, who controlled before firing in a fierce volley on the bounce. Poor Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster was under relentless attack.
Although he did brilliantly to deny Werner’s 20th-minute shot, seconds later the German raced clear and rounded the England stopper to make it 3-0.
Some Saints fans decided it was time to depart. When Havertz tapped in a fourth on the half hour – after Werner thumped the woodwork again – they deserted in numbers.
Hasenhuttl had also seen enough. Off came Oriol Romeu, for Yan Valery, as he went for a five-man blockade. Bit late, as the boos at the break signalled.
It didn’t get any better. Four minutes after the restart Werner bagged his second after Forster parried N’Golo Kante’s effort.
Southampton finally created something on 52 minutes – Che Adams’ bullet shot was superbly saved by Edouard Mendy – before Mount completed the rout. The only consolation for Hassenhuttl was that he avoided a 9-0 hammering for a third successive season.
He said: “It seems we have one of these games every season. They were hot, we lacked everything. I could feel we were lost after 10 minutes.
“It’s very disappointing.”