Chelsea got back to winning ways and returned to the Premier League's top four by thrashing lowly Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The pressure was on the Blues following three straight defeats in all competitions, but they had far too much quality for Ivan Juric's strugglers.

Christopher Nkunku got the ball rolling with a close-range header in the 24th minute, then the Frenchman turned provider for Pedro Neto to make it 2-0 12 minutes later.

Levi Colwill's header made it three shortly before half-time, and Marc Cucurella added further gloss in the second half.

The result sees Enzo Maresca’s team leapfrog Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Manchester City to go fourth, though the latter two sides are in action on Wednesday. Southampton stay bottom with just nine points from 27 games.

How the match unfolded

The first major chance fell Chelsea's way in the 23rd minute as Cole Palmer was slipped in behind by Enzo Fernandez, only to see his shot smothered by Aaron Ramsdale.

But the Blues did break through from the resulting corner. Tosin Adarabioyo flicked Fernandez's delivery towards Nkunku, who stooped to nod home.

Palmer skewed wide when presented with another good chance on the right side of the area, but Neto soon doubled Chelsea's lead with a powerful near-post finish after being fed by Nkunku.

The game was then effectively over as a contest in the 44th minute as Neto's deep free-kick was headed in by Colwill.

Chelsea went on the hunt for more goals in the second half, but Ramsdale got down well to repel Nkunku's header before teenage substitute Tyrique George fired over from a tight angle.

The hosts made their dominance count once more in the 78th minute, though, as a rapid counter ended with George squaring for Cucurella, who lashed into the bottom-right corner.

Chelsea's supporting cast step up

Chelsea approached Tuesday's game under mounting pressure, with tentative talk of a title bid prior to Christmas having been replaced by concern over their hopes of European qualification.

Maresca's men had lost three straight games in all competitions, slipping to seventh in the Premier League table and exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.

The downturn in form experienced by Palmer has not helped matters, with the Blues talisman failing to provide a goal or an assist in six consecutive games across all competitions ahead of this one.

Palmer’s struggles continued as he squandered two huge chances in the first half, losing a one-on-one duel with Ramsdale then appearing to be caught in two minds as he sent an awkward attempt rolling across goal and wide.

But if any team should have the depth to cope when their star attacker is not at his best, it is Chelsea. Neither Nkunku nor Neto have consistently lived up to their hefty price tags since arriving in west London, but both helped themselves to a goal and an assist apiece here – the latter doing so for the very first time in a Premier League game.

Chelsea's poor run had coincided with a tricky set of fixtures, but with a home game against struggling Leicester City up next on March 9, they now have a chance to build some momentum.

Southampton errors continue

Like Chelsea, Southampton entered this game having lost their last three, with Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Brighton prompting some stern words from head coach Juric.

Juric described Southampton's performance in that match as a "disaster" adding that with safety now a long shot, the coming weeks are about ensuring his team are equipped for a speedy return to the top flight.

The Southampton boss responded to that defeat by making a host of changes to his lineup, and one of the players he introduced – Paul Onuachu – twice went close in the first half.

The towering striker sent an effort spiralling over the crossbar at 0-0, then had an even better chance with his team 1-0 down, seeing a back-post header clawed away from the goal line by Filip Jorgensen, who received Maresca’s backing after his costly mistake against Aston Villa.

Southampton were still in the contest at that point, but yet another individual error granted Chelsea daylight, with Flynn Downes sending a sloppy pass straight to Cucurella in the build-up to Neto's goal.

When Cucurella himself hit the target late on, he capped a move that started with Jack Stephens having a shot blocked on the edge of Chelsea's box, with Southampton's defenders nowhere to be seen as the Blues quickly worked a five-on-three break.

Thirteen points from safety with only 33 to play for, things look bleak for Juric's men, who face the daunting prospect of a trip to Liverpool next time out.

Club reports

Chelsea report | Southampton report

Match officials

Referee: Tom Bramall. Assistants: Scott Ledger, Mat Wilkes. Fourth official: Simon Hooper. VAR: Craig Pawson. Assistant VAR: Marc Perry.