Chelsea moved back into the top four by ending their three-match losing run with an emphatic win over the Premier League's bottom club Southampton at Stamford Bridge. Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring for the Blues in the 24th minute when he headed in Tosin Adarabioyo's flick-on following a corner.

Enzo Maresca reportedly has the full support of the Chelsea board and will be backed by Todd Boehly and co. this summer. The Italian got off to a flying start in charge of the west London outfit, with Chelsea having been mentioned alongside champions-elect Liverpool as potential title challengers in the first half of the campaign.

Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea fans to trust that the club is heading in the right direction under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, following Tuesday night’s protests against the ownership. A group of around 200 supporters voiced noisy disapproval at BlueCo’s stewardship ahead of the Chelsea’s 4-0 victory over Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

When asked if the fans made it difficult for their own goalkeeper, boss Maresca said: "My message to Filip was if you play a long ball, I will change you - but it is difficult for Filip or Robert when he is playing. "It is difficult for all the keepers, but they should just follow the plan."

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has offered a defence of Cole Palmer as he goes through a difficult spell while praising a “fantastic” option he has found for the false 9 role at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca said he was pleased with Christopher Nkunku’s performance in Chelsea’s win over Southampton, but still ‘expects more’ from the attacker going forward. Chelsea put four unanswered goals past the Premier League’s bottom-placed team to end their three-game winless run and move back into the top four.