Confidence is rippling through Chelsea at the moment. Where there was uncertainty a few weeks ago, now there is growing conviction. It could be seen in Tammy Abraham producing the spectacular lob that lifted Chelsea towards their heaviest league win of the season and the swagger was there when Mason Mount found the chutzpah to sit Angus Gunn down before firing the ball beyond Southampton’s goalkeeper, bolstering the belief that a bright future beckons if Frank Lampard continues to find the freedom to make his ideas work.
This was a fine day for Lampard, who was cheered by evidence that finally getting Callum Hudson-Odoi to sign that five-year deal was smart business. A dazzling young talent whose future seemed to lie elsewhere before Maurizio Sarri’s departure flourished on his first league start of the season, running Southampton ragged with a display that showed why Bayern Munich wanted to buy him earlier this year.
Back from a serious achilles injury, Hudson-Odoi is playing with the determination of someone making up for lost time. While other academy graduates have flourished at the start of the Lampard era, the 18-year-old has patiently been building his fitness behind the scenes. It has been a long road back and, having impressed as a substitute in recent weeks, it was Hudson-Odoi who provided the early spark here, producing a gorgeous assist for Abraham’s ninth goal of the season.
Hudson-Odoi’s bright display was far from the only positive for Chelsea. Fikayo Tomori, another of the kids, celebrated his first England call-up with a smooth showing in central defence and there were influential displays from Lampard’s senior players. Jorginho was sublime in midfield and Willian had a good game, creating Mount’s fourth goal of the season with a deft touch.
Not that Lampard was entirely satisfied after seeing his side climb into fifth place. Chelsea have only kept one clean sheet this season and the manager was critical of his young team for losing focus after going 2-0 up, sloppy defending allowing Yan Valery to burst into the box from the right and set up Danny Ings to score from close range. Chelsea were ragged after Southampton’s goal and relieved when Nathan Redmond spurned a chance to equalise.
“We let someone stroll into our box,” Lampard said. “We switched off at a throw-in. You can’t afford to give little moments like that. We are nowhere near the finished article. At the moment the benchmark is Liverpool and Manchester City. We have to cut out those little bits.”
Chelsea were good value for their fourth consecutive win in all competitions, though. Lampard is yet to name an unchanged side this season and his decision to bring in Hudson-Odoi bore fruit when he created Chelsea’s opener. Given a few strong words of encouragement by César Azpilicueta and Jorginho shortly before kick-off, Hudson-Odoi was excellent, causing problems for Southampton’s floundering defence throughout.
There were 17 minutes on the clock when Hudson-Odoi sprayed a pass over the top for Abraham to chase. There was just enough pace on the ball to tempt Gunn off his line but Abraham, thinking as sharply as he was moving, improvised with a lob that briefly hung in the air before falling from the sky and dropping over the line before Maya Yoshida could hook clear. “Incredible to get the purchase on the ball,” Lampard said. “It’s confidence. When people are in good form, things happen for them.”
A goal made in Chelsea’s academy was quickly followed by another youngster getting in on the act. Southampton failed to clear their lines and Willian played in Mount, who toyed with Gunn before finishing firmly.
Southampton were fortunate not to find themselves 3-0 down when Mount wasted a presentable opportunity and their lethargy infuriated Ralph Hasenhüttl. “It doesn’t matter about shape when they show you every weakness in your team, you lose every one-against-one,” Southampton’s manager said. “You see how competitive they are and we are not. The games do not get easier and at the moment we are far away from getting something from games.”
Southampton, a point above the bottom three, rarely looked capable of earning their first home win of the season. They were booed off and were resigned to their fate after N’Golo Kanté restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion in the 40th minute. Given too much time on the edge of the area, the midfielder’s shot hit Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and deceived Gunn.
Chelsea’s dominance was absolute and they finished on a high. Christian Pulisic, given his first minutes in the league since 31 August, came off the bench and the £58m signing offered a glimpse of his ability when he teed up his fellow substitute, Michy Batshuayi, for a firm finish in the dying moments.
Highlights below;
