Internet Desk: Antonio Conte’s Chelsea’s dream run continues in the Premier League as they out-muscled in-form Southampton with clinical finishes from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa at St Mary’s. It was eventually the 40th Premier League goal for Costa who reached the feat even playing lesser games than Sergio Aguero of Manchester City.
Antonio Conte’s side produced a thoroughly professional performance to inflict a first home defeat of the season on Southampton and underline their title credentials.
Super-skillful Eden Hazard cut back from a tight angle and fired a shot through Fraser Forster’s legs in the early minutes to give Chelsea a lead they never looked like relinquishing against a Southampton side who could do nothing with their superior possession.
Spain striker Costa doubled the lead 10 minutes after the break with a gorgeous strike, receiving a pass from Hazard and beating Forster with a swerving right-foot shot from 25 metres to take his league tally of goals for the season to eight.
Chelsea, who moved back above Tottenham Hotspur into fourth spot just one point off the leaders, had the opportunities to increase their tally with Costa squandering another glorious chance when he elected not to shoot.
In another game, Romelu Lukaku’s 50th Premier League goal for Everton put them on the way to a deserved 2-0 win over West Ham United, ending a run of four league games without a win.
It kept the Mersey-side club sixth in the Premier League and West Ham in the bottom five.
The game livened up within five minutes of the resumption when Yannick Bolasie set up Lukaku to head into an empty net. Barkley began and finished the move for the second goal, driving in Lukaku’s cross.