Mueez Ajao
– Timo Werner fired Chelsea to the top of the Premier League as the German’s late goal inspired a controversy-filled 3-1 win against 10-man Southampton on Saturday.
– Thomas Tuchel’s side ended a frustrating week on a high note thanks to Werner’s contribution to a dramatic finale at Stamford Bridge.
– After successive 1-0 defeats against Manchester City and Juventus, the Blues were in danger of another disappointing result with just minutes remaining in rain-soaked west London.
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– Trevoh Chalobah put Chelsea ahead early on but James Ward-Prowse converted from the penalty spot in the second half before getting sent off for a reckless tackle.
– Chelsea made the most of the man advantage and Werner and Chilwell scored in the last 10 minutes to send them top of the Premier League.
– It was a much-needed victory for Thomas Tuchel’s side after suffering back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Juventus.
– “We had to be careful that we don’t start being too sad and too worried,” he told BBC radio.
– “It was necessary that we have better performances than the last two, that we shape up our belief and we sharpen our mindset.”
– Chalobah broke the deadlock after nine minutes when he reacted to Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s flick on from a corner.
– The hosts thought they doubled their lead on two occasions but both strikes were disallowed.
– Romelu Lukaku scored after 36 minutes but his strike was ruled out for offside while just before the break, VAR ruled out a Werner goal after Cesar Azpilicueta was adjudged to have fouled Kyle Walker-Peters beforehand.
– Southampton performed better following the break and were awarded a penalty after Chilwell brought down Tino Livramento.
– Ward-Prowse equalised from the spot on the hour mark but was sent off after 75 minutes.
– The midfielder was originally given a yellow card for a challenge on Jorginho but was shown a red card after a VAR check.
– With six minutes to go, Chelsea went ahead again after Werner tapped home into an empty net following Azpilicueta’s cross.
– It was Werner’s first Premier League goal of the season. Chilwell grabbed a third with a minute remaining to seal the win for Chelsea.
