SOUTHAMPTON, England: Chelsea consigned Southampton to their latest humiliating defeat in the Premier League, with the 6-0 thrashing on Saturday proving good shooting practice ahead of a must-win Champions League in midweek.
Mason Mount and Timo Werner both scored twice while there were also goals for Marcos Alonso and Kai Havertz for Chelsea at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton have been beaten 9-0 in each of the past two seasons and a similar scoreline looked likely when Mount scored Chelsea’s sixth goal in the 54th minute.
The visitors stepped off the pace in the final half-hour, though, perhaps saving some energy before the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Real Madrid on Tuesday. Madrid won the first leg 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and Thomas Tuchel took the opportunity to withdraw Havertz, Thiago Silva and Mount early.
It could easily have been a heavier loss for Southampton, with Werner striking the goal frame on three occasions in the first half.
Chelsea consolidated third place in the league and moved 10 points behind second-place Liverpool.
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Mount, Werner doubles as Chelsea rout Southampton 6-0
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Mount, Werner doubles as Chelsea rout Southampton 6-0
- Mason Mount and Timo Werner both scored twice while there were also goals for Marcos Alonso and Kai Havertz for Chelsea
- Southampton have been beaten 9-0 in each of the past two seasons
Djokovic ready to suffer one more time in Australian Open final
- Serbian veteran must fire up his weary body one more time with history at stake
- Novak Djokovic is striving to win a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic compared his five-set Australian Open semifinal takedown of Jannik Sinner to winning a Grand Slam and now the Serbian veteran must fire up his weary body one more time with history at stake on Sunday.
The 38-year-old stunned two-time champion Sinner to set up a bumper final on Rod Laver Arena against world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who is 16 years his junior.
The Spaniard was also forced through five sets to beat Alexander Zverev, spending more than five hours on court.
Both men are aiming to etch their names in tennis history.
Djokovic is striving to win a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and with it a 25th major title to finally surpass Margaret Court’s long-standing landmark.
Should he do so, he will also become the oldest man to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz has already won six Grand Slams and is bidding to become the youngest man to complete a career sweep of all four majors.
Fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who is in Melbourne, did it at 24.
“My preparation is as it should be, and I won against him last year here, you know, also in a grueling match,” said Djokovic, who will be making a first major finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024.
“Let’s see. Let’s see how fresh are we both able to be.
“He also had a big match, but he has 15, 16 years on me. You know, biologically I think it’s going to be a bit easier for him to recover.”
The fourth seed last claimed a Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023 with Sinner and Alcaraz dominating since.
Recovery will be key, with Alcaraz cramping badly against Zverev, where he battled back from a 5-3 deficit in the fifth set.
“Obviously my body could be better, to be honest, but I think that’s normal after five hours and a half,” he said after the grueling test, suggesting he may have an abductor issue.
“Hopefully it’s not going to be anything at all, but after five-hours-and-a-half match and that high level physically, I think the muscles are going to be tight.
“I just got to do whatever it takes to be as good as I can for the final.”
Djokovic leads 5-4 in their head-to-heads, but the margins have often been razor-thin.
Alcaraz won their most recent clash, at the US Open last year, but Djokovic came out on top at the Australian Open in 2025 with a gutsy four-set quarter-final victory.
Regardless of what happens, Alcaraz will remain world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Zverev.
The 38-year-old stunned two-time champion Sinner to set up a bumper final on Rod Laver Arena against world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who is 16 years his junior.
The Spaniard was also forced through five sets to beat Alexander Zverev, spending more than five hours on court.
Both men are aiming to etch their names in tennis history.
Djokovic is striving to win a record-extending 11th Melbourne crown and with it a 25th major title to finally surpass Margaret Court’s long-standing landmark.
Should he do so, he will also become the oldest man to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz has already won six Grand Slams and is bidding to become the youngest man to complete a career sweep of all four majors.
Fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who is in Melbourne, did it at 24.
“My preparation is as it should be, and I won against him last year here, you know, also in a grueling match,” said Djokovic, who will be making a first major finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024.
“Let’s see. Let’s see how fresh are we both able to be.
“He also had a big match, but he has 15, 16 years on me. You know, biologically I think it’s going to be a bit easier for him to recover.”
The fourth seed last claimed a Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023 with Sinner and Alcaraz dominating since.
Recovery will be key, with Alcaraz cramping badly against Zverev, where he battled back from a 5-3 deficit in the fifth set.
“Obviously my body could be better, to be honest, but I think that’s normal after five hours and a half,” he said after the grueling test, suggesting he may have an abductor issue.
“Hopefully it’s not going to be anything at all, but after five-hours-and-a-half match and that high level physically, I think the muscles are going to be tight.
“I just got to do whatever it takes to be as good as I can for the final.”
Djokovic leads 5-4 in their head-to-heads, but the margins have often been razor-thin.
Alcaraz won their most recent clash, at the US Open last year, but Djokovic came out on top at the Australian Open in 2025 with a gutsy four-set quarter-final victory.
Regardless of what happens, Alcaraz will remain world number one and Sinner two, with Djokovic moving up a place to three ahead of Zverev.
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