Premier League | Table toppers Chelsea strengthen position with 4-2 win over Southampton
Chelsea extended their dominant run in the Premier League by defeating Southampton 4-2 to strengthen their hold at the top of the points table. Diego Costa snapped his recent goal drought with a brace after Eden Hazard and Gary Cahill scored one each, to take the Blues home.
Returning to the starting lineup, Hazard opened the scoring for Chelsea in the fifth minute with a low shot. Former Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu fired the equalizer for the Saints but the joy was shortlived as Cahill scored to give the Blues a 2-1 lead at half-time.
Chelsea continued their dominance in the second-half as Costa headed home to take the team to 3-1 before scoring his second with a low shot.
Former Chelsea striker Ryan Bertrand was on target for the Saints in the dying seconds but by then Antonio Conte's men assured of a win to mount pressure in second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
"We've put pressure on Spurs," Hazard told reporters. "It's always good to play before and put pressure on them."
Cahill, meanwhile, called the win a massive step. "It's the first time for a long time we've played before Tottenham," he said.