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Chelsea looked very different when they stepped onto the pitch on Saturday against Southampton. After a tumultuous week, the Blues needed to step up, and they did exactly that.
Having lost to Brentford in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash, Thomas Tuchel’s side was on the verge of a crisis.
However, the Blues delivered a scintillating performance – probably their best of the season – as they coasted to a 6-0 victory against Southampton.
Never mind that the game was played at St. Mary’s, Chelsea completely dominated the Saints, capping off a commanding performance with some clinical finishes.
Chelsea rout hapless Saints
The fact that Chelsea hit the post three times and still managed to ship six goals past Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side highlighted how ruthless they were.
The attacking trio of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Mason Mount clicked into full gear and ran riot against the hapless Saints, who couldn’t find any answers to the Blues' onslaught.
In the end, each of Chelsea’s front three got on the scoresheet, with Werner and Mount netting braces, while Havertz also claimied his share of the spoils.
The Blues’ performances have dropped in recent weeks, but they were at their best against Southampton and should’ve won by a bigger margin.
Blues regain mojo ahead of Real Madrid rematch
Chelsea went into last week’s UEFA Champions League first-leg game against Real Madrid on the back of a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Brentford in the Premier League.
Tuchel’s side will be heading into the return fixture in much better form and mood after thrashing Southampton.
“It was necessary that we turned things around,” the Chelsea boss said in his post-match press conference, as quoted by the Guardian.
“It was not a huge turnaround – it was not necessary to change everything – but it was a moment for us. The feeling was a moment to tell the group the truth, my honest opinion, and tell them as a part of the group: ‘This is how I feel.’
“The message was clear and obviously everybody took it in the right way. I included myself in the message and so it was necessary to step up. It is on the players to live up to what we play. They did it in an impressive manner and it is now a time to move on because we’ve found what makes us strong.”
Chelsea were clearly bruised when they faced Real Madrid in the first leg. Now, though, the Blues are flying and have regained their mojo in time to give their opponents a tougher battle. However, they need to overturn a two-goal deficit against the Blancos on Tuesday to continue their title defence.
