Álvaro Morata has scored a goal for Chelsea! Assist by E. Hazard.
That was brilliant play by Hazard, who has been absolutely unstoppable this afternoon. Southampton have struggled all game long to contain the dangerous Belgian.
GOAL! Morata makes it 3-0! Hazard pokes a lovely pass into the Southampton penalty area and straight to Morata, who then pulls off a wonderful dinked finish to get the better of the onrushing McCarthy. Job done for Chelsea.
90' +1
Another excellent chance for Ings! A low cross from Lemina is missed by Rudiger and finds the striker, who spins and shoots but scuffs his effort wide of the near post.
90'
D. Ings gets yellow.
Ouch! Ings flies into Kovacic and catches the midfielder with a late sliding challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him a yellow card.
The referee has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
88'
Kovacic breaks towards the edge of the Southampton box and tries to shoot, but he's closed down and instead has to settle for a corner. Chelsea aren't in any rush to send the ball into the penalty area, but Hazard eventually swings in a cross that Rudiger can't quite knock into the back of the net from close range.
84'
The resulting set-piece isn't fully dealt with by the Chelsea defence and falls to Hoedt, who shoots at the back post but gets his strike all wrong.
83'
Another great save by Kepa! This time it's Ings who's left all alone and shoots from distance, but Kepa gets a hand on the effort to push it behind for a corner.
81'
M. Kovačić enters the game and replaces R. Barkley.
Barkley receives a rousing round of applause from the away fans as he's replaced by Kovacic.
80'
Huge opportunity for Morata to make it 3-0! Hazard flies down the left flank on a counter-attack before putting the ball on a plate for Morata, who only has McCarthy to beat but fires a close-range shot straight at the goalkeeper.
79'
What a strike by Redmond! A lofted pass isn't fully dealt with and falls to Redmond, who unleashes an absolute rocket of a shot from 25 yards out that Kepa brilliantly tips onto the crossbar.
Minute
Description
78'
S. Long enters the game and replaces M. Gabbiadini.
Southampton have made a change up front, with Gabbiadini making way for Long.
77'
Space opens up over on the left wing, allowing Hazard to burst forward and into some space. He then fires a looping cross over to the far post, where Kante darts towards the ball but can't quite meet it.
75'
Pedro enters the game and replaces Willian.
Pedro has come on to replace Willian in Chelsea's second switch of the afternoon.
74'
Hazard and Morata link up nicely over on the left flank before the latter makes a clever run into the box, but the Belgian's pass forward is sent slightly behind the striker and he has to head back out of the penalty area instead of shooting.
72'
The tempo of the game has severely reduced over the last five minutes or so, with Chelsea comfortably dominating possession as Southampton sit back once again. That second goal seems to have completely killed any belief the home side had.
70'
Hazard cuts along the edge of the Southampton penalty area and manages to get a shot away, but Hoedt gets himself in the way of the low strike and deflects it away from danger.
68'
Álvaro Morata enters the game and replaces O. Giroud.
Chelsea have made their first change of the game, with Morata making way for Giroud.
66'
P. Højbjerg gets yellow.
Hojbjerg looks frustrated, and he's the latest name to go into the book for an awful challenge on Giroud.
65'
Big block by Rudiger! Gabbiadini chips a lofted pass into the Chelsea penalty area that's only cleared as far as Hojbjerg. The Dane quickly shoots, but his strike is brilliantly blocked by Rudiger before it can test Kepa.
63'
Southampton are enjoying a decent spell of possession at the moment but they're struggling to do much with the ball. They started the second half well but failed to make it count and now have a mountain to climb.
61'
Oriol Romeu gets yellow.
Hazard embarks on a lovely weaving run down the left flank before being barged to the ground by Romeu, who leaves the referee with no choice but to book him.
59'
Cédric Soares gets yellow.
The referee has reached for his yellow card once again, and this time it's Cedric who's on the receiving end for a cynical challenge as Chelsea try to push forward.
57'
R. Barkley has scored a goal for Chelsea! Assist by O. Giroud.
Giroud did well to peel away from his marker and set up Barkley but Southampton will be really disappointed with their marking. They were too passive once again, allowing several Chelsea players to get themselves into pockets of space.
GOAL! It's a first Chelsea goal for Barkley, who has made it 2-0! A free-kick is fired over to the far post and finds Giroud, who sends an acrobatic scissor kick across the face of goal that Barkley converts into an empty net.
56'
Redmond gets himself into a good position once again before swinging a cross into the heart of the box. He can't quite find a team-mate, though, as Alonso is back to deal with the danger.
54'
M. Lemina gets yellow.
Southampton lose possession and Chelsea try to counter-attack through Barkley, who reaches the halfway line before being fouled from behind by Lemina, resulting in a booking for the Gabon international.
52'
It's been a positive start to the second half by Southampton, who are showing more attacking intent thanks to the change in formation. This time it's Redmond who cuts inside from out wide before teeing up Ings, who shoots but sends a slightly tame effort into the hands of Kepa.
50'
Huge opportunity for Bertrand! A deep cross is fired into the visitors' box and over to Bertrand, who is in a pocket of space but fires a first-time volley high over the crossbar.
48'
Chelsea quickly go on the front foot as they try to double their lead, but Willian's shot from 25 yards out fails to trouble McCarthy and is easily caught by the goalkeeper.
46'
Oriol Romeu enters the game and replaces J. Bednarek.
Southampton have made a substitution during the break, with Bednarek making way for Romeu. It looks as if they're going to revert to a four-man defence.
We're underway once again!
45' +3
HALF-TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-1 CHELSEA
45' +2
R. Bertrand gets yellow.
Bertrand believes the free-kick should be taken in a different position, and after arguing with the referee for too long he's shown the first yellow card of the game.
It's Redmond who swings the free-kick into the penalty area, but it's slightly underhit and Chelsea are able to clear the danger before the referee blows his whistle for half-time.
45' +1
Southampton win the ball back and push forward on a quick counter-attack down the left wing, where Bertrand is fouled before he's able to send a cross into the box. What can they do with this free-kick?
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
44'
Chelsea patiently knock the ball around inside their own half of the pitch before Luiz eventually tries to pick out Giroud, but his lofted pass is overhit and the Southampton defenders are able to watch it bounce behind for a goal-kick.
42'
Willian and Azpilicueta link up nicely deep down the right flank before the latter crosses, but once again they have to settle for a corner after failing to pick out a target. The set-piece is sent over to Luiz, who nods the ball back to Alonso, but the Spaniard gets his attempted volley wrong and blasts it wide of the near post.
40'
Hazard drifts over to the right wing and cuts into the penalty area, where he fires a deflected shot into the side-netting. Willian goes slightly longer with his cross from the corner but McCarthy darts out to tip the ball away from Giroud's head.
38'
Kante makes a clever run into the right-hand side of the hosts' box and latches on to a throughball from Hazard. He spins round Bertrand and tries to tee up the Belgian, but he has the ball poked away before he can do so.
36'
A terrible pass from Rudiger can only find Gabbiadini, who then quickly pushes forward on a counter-attack. He has Ings up there with him but decides to shoot instead, and his curling strike is easily stopped by Kepa.
34'
Southampton were starting to believe after managing to create some really good chances, but that goal from Hazard seems to have sent them back into their shells. They're sitting deep once again as they desperately try to stop Chelsea from scoring a second goal.
30'
E. Hazard has scored a goal for Chelsea! Assist by R. Barkley.
GOAL! It's 1-0 to Chelsea! Hojbjerg is caught on the ball by Barkley and allows the midfielder to set up Hazard, who then comfortably curls a strike past McCarthy and into the back of the net.
That was really good awareness from Barkley, who took advantage of poor play by Hojbjerg and put the ball on a plate for Hazard. The Premier League's top goalscorer wasn't going to miss from there!
29'
Once again, Chelsea work the ball out wide before trying to pick out Giroud in the middle of the penalty area. The Frenchman goes close to getting on to the end of Azpilicueta's cross but can't quite reach it in front of goal.
27'
Big let off for Hoedt! A lofted pass is fired deep into the Southampton half of the pitch, where it finds Hazard in a promising position. The Belgian heads towards the box before teeing up Giroud, who tries to shoot but goes down under a challenge from Hoedt before he can do so. The Chelsea players appeal for a penalty but the referee isn't interested, despite it looking as if Giroud got to the ball first.
25'
What a chance for Ings! Redmond holds up the ball over on the left wing and waits for an overlapping from Bertrand. The defender then swings a brilliant ball into the box, where Ings meets it in front of goal but somehow misses from six yards out.
23'
More good play by Southampton! Once again, they put a bit more pressure on Chelsea and force them into making a mistake. It allows Gabbiadini to break towards the penalty area and shoot, but his low effort is easily stopped by Kepa.
22'
Chance for Southampton! The home side finally start pressing with more intent, and they're rewarded for their efforts. They win back possession and push into the box, where Ings sends a cross just past the outstretched leg of Lemina.
21'
With 21 minutes on the clock, Chelsea have already had six corners. The sixth is fired into the heart of the box and goes narrowly close to finding Giroud, but the Frenchman's jump is slightly mistimed and he fails to meet the ball.
19'
A chipped pass from Jorginho causes all sorts of problems for the Southampton defenders, who initially aren't able to clear the danger before Bednarek heads behind for a corner. Willian's cross from the set-piece is a good one but Bednarek is there once again.
17'
Lovely one-touch football from Chelsea brings Hazard into play over on the left flank. The Belgian cuts inside and finds Kante, who then tees up Barkley, but the latter's first-time shot from 20 yards out is overhit and fails to trouble McCarthy.
14'
Barkley is dispossessed on the halfway line and the home side have a chance to counter-attack, but Gabbiadini is quickly closed down by the Chelsea midfielder and is fouled before he can break forward.
12'
Chelsea keep putting Southampton under plenty of pressure as they comfortably dominate possession. Alonso then swings a cross into the middle of the box, where Giroud rises high but can't quite meet the ball in front of goal.
10'
Willian skips into the left-hand side of the penalty area and crosses, but he has to settle for a corner after his attempted pass is blocked by Cedric. Southampton aren't able to clear the danger from the set-piece and Chelsea come back again, but Rudiger's low cross is blasted away.
8'
Off the crossbar! Hazard causes plenty of problems once again but has two quick-fire shots blocked. Willian then picks up the ball and unleashes a strike of his own, but it's deflected over McCarthy and on to the top of the crossbar.
7'
Hazard picks up the ball in a pocket of space in the middle of the pitch and immediately sprints towards the hosts' box. He gets the better of Hojbjerg before taking on Bednarek, but once again it's the defender who comes out on top.
5'
Chelsea patiently knock the ball around before Barkley sends a lofted pass into the penalty area. Hazard rushes in and manages to meet the ball, but he can't quite nod it down to a team-mate and is dispossessed by Bednarek.
3'
After an even start to the game, it's Southampton who push forward on the first attack. Gabbiadini makes a clever run into the box and tries to latch on to a chipped pass, but Luiz is there to get to the ball first.
1'
We're underway!
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s Premier League game between Southampton and Chelsea at St. Mary’s.
Things are getting tight at the top of the table, where a victory for Chelsea will temporarily move them up to first. The Blues currently sit just two points behind both Manchester City and Liverpool, but while they’re unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions, both of their last two league outings ended in frustrating draws.
There’s a positive mood among the Stamford Bridge faithful thanks to the attractive brand of football brought in by Maurizio Sarri, but there’s a worry they’re becoming over reliant on star man Eden Hazard. The Belgian currently leads the way in the Premier League top goalscorers table with six, and Southampton will have find a way to nullify him if they’re to come away with anything.
It’s been a tough start to the season for the home side, who enjoyed a victory against Everton in the Carabao Cup during the week but have won just once in the league so far this campaign - and only four times during 2018. Goalscoring has been a problem, with their tally of six being the division’s second-lowest.
Southampton haven’t been at their best defensively either, and their inability to see out games has resulted in them losing five points during the last 15 minutes of games. Mark Hughes’ men are understandably underdogs, but with a crucial double header against Bournemouth and Newcastle United fast approaching, any positive result will go a long way to easing the pressure.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up today…
Chelsea substitutes: Willy Caballero, Davide Zappacosta, Gary Cahill, Fabregas, Mateo Kovacic, Pedro, Alvaro Morata.
Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso; N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley; Willian, Olivier Giroud, Eden Hazard.
Southampton substitutes: Angus Gunn, Matt Targett, Jannik Vestergaard, Oriol Romeu, Steven Davis, Shane Long, Charlie Austin.
Southampton XI (3-4-1-2): Alex McCarthy; Jan Bednarek, Wesley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida; Cedric Soares, Pierre-Emil Hojbjerg, Mario Lemina, Ryan Bertrand; Nathan Redmond; Danny Ings, Manolo Gabbiadini.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
It's proving to be a difficult game for Southampton, who have struggled to create too many clear-cut chances and find themselves behind at the break. Chelsea have comfortably dominated possession and put pressure the hosts, who at times have been far too passive defensively.
Ings really should have scored a golden opportunity midway through the first half, but Southampton will have taken confidence from that chance. It showed Chelsea's vulnerabilities on the break, but the home side need to do much more if they're to find a way back into this game.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
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