Chelsea thumped hapless Southampton 4-0 on Tuesday,with scorers from all over the pitch, to climb to fourth in the Premier League and keep the visitors pinned to the bottom of the table.
The win takes the west London side to 46 points, two points above Manchester City and Newcastle United who respectively play at Tottenham Hotspur and leaders Liverpool on Wednesday.
Southampton’s 22nd defeat of the season leaves them 13 points from the safety zone, while Chelsea’s win means thy can hang on to hopes of Champions League football next season.
With no out-and-out striker because of an injury to Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea have been struggling for goals and needed defenders as well as forwards to step up.
They were in control from the start, though, and barely a minute after Aaron Ramsdale saved a Cole Palmer shot with his feet, Christopher Nkunku bundled the ball in at the back post after a corner and nod down from defender Tosin Adarabioyo.
France striker Nkunku then turned provider by slipping a neat pass to Chelsea’s Portugal winger Pedro Neto who fired a powerful left-foot shot between Ramsdale and the near post.
Central defender Levi Colwill made it 3-0 just before halftime, heading down a Neto free kick, and Spain wing back Marc Cucurella converted a pinpoint pass from 19-year-old substitute and academy graduate Tyrique George in the 78th.
Ramsdale made sharp saves in the last 10 minutes to deny Palmer and Enzo Fernandez or the score could have been more.
Chelsea had lost four of their previous five games in all competitions before Tuesday’s match, dropping to seventh.
Birthday boy Sarr gifted double as Palace beat Villa 4-1
Ismaila Sarr scored twice on his 27th birthday to help Crystal Palace to a deserved 4-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on Tuesday, putting a dent in the visitors’ hopes of Champions League football next season.
Villa drop to 10th place in the table with 42 points from 28 games, while Palace climb to 12th with 36 points from 27.
Palace dominated the chances as they secured just a third home win of the campaign, with in-form striker Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah also on target in a polished performance that was full of attacking threat.
Villa twice had the ball in the back of the net for goals that were ruled out for offside, but they did not create nearly enough in the final third and could only score what proved a consolation through Morgan Rogers.
Welbeck comes off bench to fire Brighton winner against Bournemouth
Brighton and Hove Albion striker Danny Welbeck made an instant impact off the bench by scoring the winner in his side’s 2-1 home victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Welbeck had only been on the field two minutes when he ran on to Georginio Rutter’s through ball and placed his shot beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga and in off the post in the 75th minute.
Joao Pedro gave Brighton the lead from the penalty spot in the 12th minute after being brought down by Arrizabalaga but Bournemouth, who could have gone into the top four with a win, levelled just past the hour with a superb curling effort from Justin Kluivert.
Brighton’s fourth win in a row in all competitions lifted them to eighth with 43 points from 27 games and firmly in the hunt for a European place.
Bournemouth’s third defeat in four league games left them in seventh place, above Brighton on goal difference.
Fulham win 2-1 at Wolves after Sessegnon scores in first minute
Fulham secured a 2-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Tuesday to boost their hopes of European football, with Ryan Sessegnon giving them a first-minute lead before Rodrigo Muniz scored the winner after the break.
Sessegnon put Fulham in front after 58 seconds, striking a low shot inside the far post after breaking down the left, before Joao Gomes blasted home an equaliser in the 18th minute.
However, Muniz restored Fulham’s lead just after the restart with a chipped finish from the edge of the area.
Fulham rose to ninth on 42 points after 27 games, four points off the top four and two points behind fifth-placed Manchester City. Wolves stay 17th, five points above the drop zone.
