6 April 10, 2022The Sunday TimesFootball Premier League
Two of the main players behind the
£40 million consortium vying to
gain ownership of Chelsea have
pledged to invest significantly to
ensure that the club continues to
win trophies on a regular basis.
Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert,
partners of the Ricketts family, who
own the Chicago Cubs baseball
franchise and are leading one of the
four bids to buy Chelsea, have
broken their silence about their
reasons for wanting control of the
London club.
Griffin, a hedge fund guru with a
personal fortune of about
$27.2 billion, and Gilbert, owner ofT
homas Tuchel revealed this
week he had delivered some
home truths to his Chelsea
players in a one-way
exchange after the home
defeat by Real Madrid. What-
ever message the head coach
conveyed, he was left in no
doubt it had sunk in as his side deliv-
ered an emphatic victory that pro-
vided a much needed lift after a test-
ing few days.
In control from the moment
Marcos Alonso put them ahead early
on, Chelsea were dominant and com-
pleted the victory with two goals each
from Timo Werner — his first in the
Premier League since October — and
Mason Mount, with Kai Havertz also
on target. Having conceded seven
goals in successive home defeats to
Brentford and Real, the clean sheet
was also welcome.
They were helped by the fact
Southampton were desperately poor,
but this was the ideal way to restore
confidence ahead of Tuesday’s Cham-
pions League return when they will
attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit.
“Very good performance, offensive
wise but also defensive wise,” Tuchel
said. “It was necessary that we turned
things around but we came from a
long streak of winning games then we
had the international break and we
had five days afterwards where we
didn’t feel the same.
“So it was not a huge turnaround, it
was not necessary to change every-
thing, but it was the moment for us, ISOUTHAMPTON
0CHELSEA
Alonso 8, Mount 16, 54, Werner 21, 6
49, Havertz 31Chelsea hit six and tell
Real – it’s not over yet
utes later. Mount started the move,
spreading play wide to Loftus-Cheek
and maintaining his forward run so he
was on hand to collect the loose ball
when the wing back’s cross was only
half-cleared, taking a touch before fir-
ing past Fraser Forster from 20 yards.
In danger of being overwhelmed,
the last thing Southampton needed
was for James Ward-Prowse to gift
Chelsea a 22nd-minute third.
The midfielder was inside Chelsea’s
half when he attempted to head the
ball back — presumably towards his
defenders — but instead allowed
Werner to run clear from halfway and
the forward rolled the ball into an
empty net after rounding Forster.
Werner’s relief was evident. “Every-
thing was there for him to deliver and
to make a statement that he did not
give up,” said Tuchel.
Worse was to come for the home
side in the 31st minute when Werner
dispossessed Mohammed Salisu,
rounded Kyle Walker-Peters and
directed a shot against the post with
Havertz turning in the rebound.
Within four minutes of the restart,
Southampton had fallen farther
behind when Werner followed up
after N’Golo Kanté had surged for-
ward and forced a one-handed save
from Forster. Forster was again pow-
erless to prevent Mount adding the
sixth after he had denied Christian
Pulisic from Alonso’s cross.
At that point the prospect of South-
ampton suffering a third 9-0 defeat
under Ralph Hasenhüttl seemed a
real possibility but Chelsea eased up
with one eye on next week’s alto-
gether more daunting trip to Spain.
“It was very disappointing to see
that we fall back into behaviour that I
thought is gone,” said Hasenhüttl, the
Southampton manager.
“But it seems that we need to have
one game of this every season.”Ian WinrowMount turns in his
second and Chelsea’s
sixth beyond Forster,
who endured a
miserable afternoon
at the hands of the
resurgent European
championshad the feeling, to tell the group the
truth.”
Chelsea — who were without the
injured Romelu Lukaku and César
Azpilicueta, who tested positive for
Covid — set out their intentions in the
second minute when Werner finished
off a counterattack with a low shot
that struck the post.
It took them just eight minutes to
make the breakthrough, after Ruben
Loftus-Cheek, employed in an unfa-
miliar right wing back role, brought
the ball forward before finding Mount
who collected the pass on his chest
before laying off for Alonso.
They doubled their lead eight min-Star man Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Substitutes: Southampton Valery (for Romeu
36min, 6), Diallo (for Armstrong 46, 6), Smallbone
(for Livramento 73). Chelsea Pulisic (for Havertz
46, 6), James (for Silva 63, 6), Ziyech (for Mount
68, 6).
Referee K Friend.Mendy6Silva7Kovacic7
Kanté7
Loftus-Cheek7
Alonso8Rüdiger7
Christensen7Werner8
Havertz7
Mount93-4-3Forster6Bednarek6
Walker-Peters6
Livramento6
Salisu5Ward-Prowse5
Elyounoussi5
Armstrong6
Romeu5Armstrong5
Adams54-4-2US bidders
vow to
maintain
‘winning
tradition’
It was a good day for Millwall whose
play-offs hopes had faded following
three matches without a win (Peter
Wilson writes). But they got back to
winning ways, while the teams
immediately above them struggled,
defeating Barnsley 4-1 at The Den.
Two Danny McNamara goals gave
Millwall the advantage over their
relegation-threatened visitors.
Barnsley hit back through Romal
Palmer, but Oliver Burke’s first goal
for the south London club and
another from Benik Afobe have put
them back in the play-off hunt.
When Neil Warnock, who
announced his retirement from
management yesterday after 42years and a record 1,603 matches,
left Middlesbrough in November
they were in 14th place. His
replacement, Chris Wilder, has
reinvigorated Boro but they
stumbled yesterday, losing 1-0 at
home to lowly Hull City, when a win
could have fired them into the play-
off places. Keane Lewis-PotterP W D L F A Pts
Fulham 39 25 8 6 9332 83
Bournemouth 39 21 10 8 6235 73
Nottm Forest 39 19 10 10 61 36 67
Huddersfield 40 18 12 10 52 43 66
Luton 40 18 11 11 5945 65
Sheff Utd 41 18 11 12 53 41 65
Blackburn 41 17 12 12 52 42 63
Middlesbrough 40 18 8 14 52 42 62
Millwall 41 16 13 12 4540 61
QPR 41 17 8 16 5553 59
West Brom 41 15 12 14 4540 57
Preston 41 14 15 12 43 46 57
Swansea 40 16 9 15 48 53 57
Coventry 40 15 11 14 51 50 56
Stoke 41 15 10 16 5347 55
Blackpool 40 14 11 15 44 47 53
Cardiff 40 14 7 19 47 61 49
Birmingham 41 11 12 18 43 60 45
Bristol City 41 12 9 20 52 73 45
Hull 41 12 8 21 34 45 44
@Reading 41 12 7 22 48 77 37
Barnsley 40 6 11 2330 59 29
*Derby 41 12 13 16 40 47 28
Peterborough 41 6 10 25 34 82 28
* deducted 21pts for breaching financial rules
and for going into administration
@ deducted 6pts for breaching financial rulesMcNamara puts Millwall back on the play-off trail as rivals falter
beaten 2-1 away at Preston North
End. It was their seventh defeat in
eight matches and a fifth in a row.
Joel Piroe scored twice in
Swansea City’s 2-1 defeat of second-
from-bottom Derby County, whose
manager, Wayne Rooney, said he
hoped “the referee gets banned and
fined” for not awarding them a
penalty. Peterborough United, in
the basement position, battled back
with ten men to draw 1-1 away to
Bristol City. Rob Atkinson headed
the hosts in front. Peterborough
had Joe Ward sent off in the 59th
minute, but Jonson Clarke-Harris
hit their equaliser six minutes later.
Cardiff City continued their
revival under Steve Morison, and
are now safe from relegation. They
came from behind to win 2-1 away
at Reading. Substitute Will Vaulks
chipped in the winner five minutes
from time.struck the 74th-minute winner.
Warnock, 73, who has managed 16
clubs, said: “I’ve had a good run
really. I’m enjoying things I’ve not
done for years, I’m having a lot of
time with the family, my dogs and
I’ve taken up cycling too.”
Blackburn Rovers, in seventh,
have now won only twice from 13
games after they were held 1-1 at
home by Blackpool, the visitors’
Marvin Ekpiteta cancelling out Sam
Gallagher’s early opener.
Sheffield United remain in the
final play-off place after a 0-0 draw
at home to second-placed
Bournemouth. West Bromwich
Albion’s promotion hopes have
almost ended. They were beaten 3-1
at home by Stoke City, who won for
the third time in four games.
Queens Park Rangers are another
side who can probably write off
their play-off hopes. They wereMcNamara scored two for MillwallSKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND-UPSKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
Jonathan Northcroft