Hazard and Barkley shine as Chelsea march on

Goals from Eden Hazard, Ross Barkley and Alvaro Morata helped Chelsea maintain the fine start to the season with a routine 3-0 win at Southampton.

Barkley celebrated his recall to the England squad, scoring his first goal for Chelsea and setting up Hazard’s first as Chelsea claimed a comfortable success. They were dominant throughout and should have reaped better reward for their superiority.

Chelsea’s movement off the ball failed to produce any end product early on but there was plenty of space on the flanks.

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AS IT HAPPENED: Southampton v Chelsea

The Saints paid the visitors far too much respect in the opening period, but came out of their shell after the first 20 minutes when Manolo Gabbiadini was allowed to travel with the ball. He unleashed a 20-yard shot that Chelsea keeper Kepa handled comfortably low down to his right.

That got the crowd going and soon after the Saints created a golden chance. Ryan Bertrand released Nathan Redmond down the left, his excellent cross found Danny Ings who was steaming in at the far post, but he blazed his volley over the bar from close range when it seemed easier to score.

Olivier Giroud was the focal point of Chelsea’s attack. While he had few clear-cut chances, he invariably made himself available and constantly pulled defenders out of position.

Chelsea thought they had claims for a penalty on 25 minutes, when Giroud went over the legs of Wesley Hoedt, but appeals were waved away, despite replays showing the Frenchman had got to the ball before the Saints’ defender slid in.

But on the half-hour the visitors deservedly went in front. Barkley was the provider – his excellent tackle on Pierre-Emile Hejbjerg allowed him space to look up and pick out Hazard, who had oceans of space between the centre halves, and the Belgian coolly slotted right-footed past Alex McCarthy. It was Barkley’s first assist for 18 months and Hazard’s seventh goal of the season.

Saints were rocked by the goal and continued to drop deep. Kante saw a shot blocked and the impressive David Luiz should have done better when unmarked from the eighth corner of the first period, only for his drive to hit a defender.

Saints’ best opportunities came down on sporadic breaks down the left and just before the interval Bertrand won a free-kick on the left just before the break, only to find himself rightly cautioned by South Yorkshire referee Craig Pawson for petulantly arguing the spot of the ball. The free-kick came to nought, though.

For all their pressure, which included 11 first-half corners, Chelsea were not clinical enough in the first period and went in 1-0 up.

Southampton started the brighter after the break and Ings’ snapshot forced Kepa into a comfortable save.

Yet it was not long before Chelsea killed the game and Barkley was again instrumental, drawing a foul from Lemina, who was carded. From the resulting free-kick, Southampton were punished for some poor marking as Giroud pulled away alone at the far post. His acrobatic left-foot volley eluded three defenders and Barkley had the simplest of chances from a yard out, with the ball knocked in off the side of his knee.

It was no more than Chelsea deserved for their creativity.

Southampton attempted to hit back and it was only a desperate last-ditch, flying block in the 67th minute that prevented Hejbjerg from getting a shot on target. It produced Saints’ first corner of the game.

As the game opened up Chelsea were guilty of sloppy defending and Bertand was very unlucky with a rasping drive from 25 yards that swerved and dipped, with Kepa lucky to finger-tip the ball onto the bar.

Giroud was replaced by Morata but he missed a glorious chance to put the game out of reach after Barkley had released Hazard and the Belgium put him in. However, McCarthy got down low at his near post to smother the Spaniard’s shot.

Yet Morata’s luck changed just after, as Hazard slotted him through after some intricate exchanges on the left and he nipped in to dink the ball over McCarthy for the third in the 92nd minute.

It meant that Chelsea went to the top of the table – albeit for a few hours – and they remain unbeaten in eight Premier League games, while Southampton slipped to a fifth successive defeat.