Chelsea stepped up to deliver a convincing 4-0 victory against Southampton and retook their position in the Premier League’s top fourth spot. Just as a string of three defeats really began to sting, the Blues put in a vigorous performance against the bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Levi Colwill scored first-half goals, with Marc Cucurella sealing the win. Chelsea needed this win, coming right after a protest by Club supporters about performance and ticket prices.
Nkunku, who captured his 14th goal of the season from a corner, broke the deadlock with a header. The second goal came from a Neto set piece as Colwill capped it with a third. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described the relief felt focused on qualifying for the Champions League accordingly.
At the same time, Aston Villa’s European football ambitions were dealt a setback with a 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace. Villa’s recent poor form was not coming to an end, as they won only once from their previous seven games. Morgan Rogers’ equalizer was not enough, as goals from Ismaila Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah gave the victory.
Elsewhere, Brighton defeated Bournemouth 2-1 and Fulham beat Wolves 2-1, further heating up the competition for European qualification.