Chelsea hammered Southampton 6-0 on Saturday to strengthen their grip on third in the Premier League top four.

The Blues had suffered a shock 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brentford last week before losing 3-1 against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

But they restored confidence on Saturday by putting Southampton to the sword, racing into a 4-0 lead with just half an hour played.

Goals from Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz put the game beyond the home side’s reach by half-time.

Werner and Mount both scored again early in the second half as the match became an embarrassing rout.

Meanwhile, Arsenal stumbled again, losing 2-1 against Brighton.

Arsenal are having a wobble at the wrong time after putting themselves in a strong position to qualify to play in the Champions League for the first time since 2016/17.

The home defeat against Brighton means Mikel Arteta’s men have now lost three of their past four league games and they are now level with fierce rivals Tottenham, having played the same number of games.

Brighton took the lead at the Emirates Stadium when Leandro Trossard turned home a low cross from Enock Mwepu while the Zambian midfielder himself added a second. Martin Odegaard scored a late consolation. (Channels TV/AFP)

•PHOTO: Chelsea’s German striker Timo Werner (R) celebrates scoring the team’s fifth goal during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Chelsea at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, southern England on April 9, 2022. Adrian DENNIS / AFP