Enzo Maresca proclaims 'Chelsea are back' in response to fans chanting his name as Blues move second in Premier League with rout of Southampton

Chelsea extended their unbeaten run, across all competitions, to seven matches on Wednesday as they thrashed Southampton 5-1 courtesy of goals from Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho. It was a crucial win for the Blues on a night when league leaders Liverpool dropped two points against Newcastle, thereby reducing their lead over the west London side to seven points. Scoring five times in the match also helped them officially go above Arsenal on goal difference.

The travelling fans at St Mary's Stadium were overjoyed with the performance of their team as they chanted manager Maresca's name at the top of their lungs. The Italian coach was thrilled to hear fans cheering for him as he confidently claimed that 'Chelsea are back'.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, the 44-year-old said: "It was a very good feeling. You can see they are happy, that is our target, we work every day to keep them happy. Tonight was a very good feeling. They can see Chelsea is back and this is an important thing."

Maresca's men will be back in action this weekend as they take on London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a tasty Premier League clash on Sunday away from home.