Confidence is rippling through
Chelsea at the moment. Where there was uncertainty a few weeks ago, now there is growing conviction. It could be seen in Tammy Abraham producing the spectacular lob that lifted Chelsea towards their heaviest league win of the season and the swagger was there when Mason Mount found the chutzpah to sit Angus Gunn down before firing the ball beyond Southampton’s goalkeeper, bolstering the belief that a bright future beckons if Frank Lampard continues to find the freedom to make his ideas work.
This was a fine day for Lampard, who was cheered by evidence that finally getting Callum Hudson-Odoi to sign that five-year deal was smart business. A dazzling young talent whose future seemed to lie elsewhere before Maurizio Sarri’s departure flourished on his first league start of the season, running Southampton ragged with a display that showed why Bayern Munich wanted to buy him earlier this year.