Timo Werner's Bundesliga Southampton tactic aided by Chelsea's new Reece James heir

For Timo Werner, Saturday must have felt like a massive relief. With his Chelsea career heading firmly towards its sorry end, with every passing performance, it appeared any glimpse of the striker Chelsea thought they had bought sapped away.

Against Southampton, Thomas Tuchel and the boisterous travelling support under the south coast sun got peak-Werner. This was the devastating speed £47m was invested in and on a very rare occasion, Werner was gifted a defence of his design.

Rather than Southampton in the Premier League, this game could have been played at Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. His first goal of the afternoon was the perfect archetype of the style of finish he'd execute for Leipzig.

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Ralph Hasenhuttl's press was deconstructed brutally by Chelsea, allowing the front two of Werner and Kai Havertz to dart behind and stretch play, most emphasised by the opening goal that used the width of the pitch before Marcos Alonso broke the deadlock.

Werner's eyes widened when a loose header back by James Ward-Prowse created a foot-race between the forward and Jan Bednarek. The German was always going to win, though credit should come with his composed finish, guiding the ball away from Fraser Forster before slotting into an empty net.

His 49th-minute goal was much simpler, guiding home a rebound after a N'Golo Kante effort was saved to the continuing joy of the loud away support.

There is no getting around how perfect an opponent the Saints are for Werner. Given his unimpressive goal record since arriving in 2020, five of the 26-year-old's nine league goals have come against the Saints, his first two for Chelsea in the manic 3-3