Football news - Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount on scoresheet as Chelsea trounce Southampton

Chelsea moved into fifth place in the Premier League with a 4-1 evisceration of Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday afternoon.

It was a game littered with defensive mistakes, but Chelsea profited most handsomely from the generosity of both defences. Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount both scored again for the visitors, before Danny Ings pulled one back for Southampton.

The irrepressible N’Golo Kante restored Chelsea’s two-goal lead five minutes before half-time, before substitute Michy Batshuayi livened up a flat second half by adding a fourth in the 89th minute. That goal sealed Chelsea’s third away victory in a row, in which Frank Lampard’s team have found the net 12 times.

It was Southampton’s third Premier League defeat in a row and they remain 16th in the league table. With a taxing run of autumn fixtures on the way, cutting out such slack defending will be a high priority for manager Ralph Hassenhuttl.

17’ GOAL! Southampton 0 Chelsea 1 (Abraham 17) It's him again! A long, hopeful ball over the tap tempts Gunn off his line. Abraham gets there first, and lofts the ball over the stranded goalkeeper. Yoshida rushes back to volley it away from under the bar, but it had crossed the line and the goal stands!

24’ GOAL! Southampton 0 Chelsea 2 (Mount 24) Another one! This is a lovely goal. Chelsea disposess Southampton in the final third. Jorginho and Willian quickly shift the ball to Mount, who accelerates behind the Saints defence and into the area. He tucks a beautifully composed finish past Gunn to extend Chelsea's lead.

30’ GOAL! Southampton 1 (Ings 30) Chelsea 2 From nothing Southampton are back in it! Valery meanders wonderfully past four Chelsea players and into the penalty area. Ings is waiting for his low cross in the six yard box, and toe pokes his finish past Kepa. Given the way the game was going, that's a lifeline for the Saints.

40’ GOAL! Southampton 1 Chelsea 3 (Kante 40) Alonso advances in acres of space down the left. The ball is worked to Kante on the edge of the area; he opens up to shoot from twenty yards, and his shot catches a slight deflection to leave Gunn rooted as it flies into the corner of the net.

45+1 CHANCE! Tomori tries to be a bit to clever when playing the ball out near his area, and serves up a chance for Ings. The striker goes wide of Kepa and then shoots, but Jorginho gets back to clear the shot away.

49’ EXCELLENT SAVE! Willian cuts across the pitch for Chelsea and slides Hudson-Odoi into the Southampton area. Hudson-Odoi takes a touch and then shoots across Gunn, who throws out a leg to divert it for a corner.

89’ GOAL! Southampton 1 Chelsea 4 (Batshuayi 89) What a beautiful goal, game over. Batshuayi gets the ball 25 yards out and plays a quick ball to Pulisic. He takes a touch before slipping a sumptuous delayed pass through to Batshuayi, who'd carried on his run into the area. Batshuayi controls it before driving it through the legs of Gunn to seal the victory.

Can Chelsea find the right balance? The goals are flowing for Chelsea at one end of the pitch, but their inability to keep the back door shut away from home will be a concern for Lampard. Chelsea have conceded more away goals in the Premier League in 2019 than any team other than Watford. In attack, they can be devastating. If Lampard can find a combination to clear up the errors at the back, this team could really start going places.

The heartbeat of the Chelsea midfield capped another industrious and intuitive display today with his second Premier League goal of the season. Much of the talk around Lampard’s team this season has focused on their bright young talents but Kante’s role, and his dovetailing with Jorginho, underpins all their success and allows them to flourish.

Southampton (4-4-2): Gunn 6; Valery 7, Bednarek 5, Yoshida 6, Bertrand 6; Hojberg 6, Romeu 5, Ward-Prowse 6, Redmond 6; Long 6, Ings 7

SUBS: Boufal 6, Obafemi 6, Adams 6

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Kepa 6; Azpilicueta 6, Tomori 5, Zouma 6, Alonso 7; Jorginho 7, Kante 8; Willian 6, Mount 7, Hudson-Odoi 7; Abraham 7

SUBS: Kovacic 6, Pulisic 6, Batshuayi 7