Chelsea shuffled their team but played their cards right as they claimed their third Premier League win in a row with a comfortable victory over lackluster Southampton.

Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke all scored in the first 45 minutes for Enzo Maresca’s heavily rotating side, who were also helped by their hosts’ self-destructive streak.

At Southampton, Jack Stephens was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair before half-time and after the break. Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho added even more sparkle to victory.

Dan Sheldon breaks down the key talking points of a straightforward night’s work for Chelsea.

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Cucurella vs. Stephens – the mane event of this game

Who would have thought that Cucurella’s hair would help Chelsea to a comfortable win over Southampton?

The Spanish left-back was defending Southampton captain Jack Stephens at a corner and for some reason Stephens felt compelled to pull the Chelsea player’s hair. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as when Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero tugged at Cucurella’s curls in August 2022, but it was still one of the game’s defining moments.

After being pulled by the hair by Stephens, Cucurella had two options: continue as if nothing had happened or go to the ground and see if the referee took a look. He chose the latter.

Tony Harringtron, the referee, was told to take a look at the pitchside VAR screen, ran back onto the pitch and sent Stephens off. Cucurella’s work was done and it was further proof that he had become Chelsea’s master of the dark arts.

Yes, he could have stayed on his feet, but as he went down he begged the referee to make a decision.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed becoming a pantomime villain and was ridiculed throughout the evening at St Mary’s after Stephens’ red card – but that won’t bother him in the least.

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Have Enzo Maresca’s changes paid off?

Maresca took a risk and made seven changes to the team that beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Sunday – and for a moment it looked like it was a risk he shouldn’t have taken.

Only Cucurella, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo survived the draw, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez even being relegated to the bench in favor of Filip Jorgensen, making his first Premier League appearance.

The club’s squad size is such that Maresca has so far been able to rely on two teams, one for the Premier League and one for the UEFA Conference League.

“We have good players, they all deserve to play,” Maresca told Amazon Prime Video Sport before kick-off at St Mary’s.

But making seven changes in the Premier League, even against bottom-placed Southampton, is a bold decision. But the risk paid off, and that was largely due to Southampton’s strange defending.

Christopher Nkunku scored his 12th goal in 21 games, Joao Felix was his typical self: a few fancy moves but not much else, and he also missed a great opportunity to extend Chelsea’s lead. Although Alex Disasi scored, he had a mediocre game and Southampton scored points from their attacking moves down the right flank.

While the result might suggest otherwise, this wasn’t Chelsea’s most complete performance, but Maresca will be pleased that his starting gamble paid off.

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Chelsea are eligible for promotion

In the 83rd minute, the away team from St Mary’s roared: “We have our Chelsea back” before chanting Maresca’s name. It expressed the current mood in the club: optimism.

Their stunning win over Southampton gave them victory over Arsenal and into second placestill seven points behind leaders Liverpool.

While the fight for the title may seem like a tall order from today’s perspective, the fact that they were able to keep up with Arsenal and overcome a struggling Manchester City is a fantastic achievement considering how difficult the last few seasons have been.

They have lost just twice in 14 Premier League games in 2024-25 – at home to Manchester City and away to Liverpool – and have picked up eight wins.

At least they seem determined to qualify for next year’s Champions League. But as it stands, they are the biggest threat to stopping Liverpool from winning the Premier League title.

If they manage to get through the holiday season and enter 2025 still in second place, they will be performing above average compared to what many thought was possible before the season began.

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What’s next for Chelsea?

Sunday December 8th: Tottenham Hotspur (away), Premier League, 4:30pm UK, 11:30am ET

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(Top photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)