Southampton 5-1

Independent:

Demba Ba makes his mark for Chelsea as Southampton are crushed

Southampton 1 Chelsea 5: New striker settles in at the double as Torres keeps a watching brief from the stands

Trevor Haylett st mary's stadium

The contrast is startling: while Fernando Torres took 14 games to score his first goal in Chelsea colours, Demba Bamanaged it within 35 minutes of his debut.
The Spaniard was forced to watch and admire from the bench as the former Newcastle man, who's arrival inevitably brings Torres' accustomed starting place into question, scored twice in an assured first display.

It could so easily have been a hat-trick as the FA Cup holders began their defence of the trophy with another goalfest as Southampton's initial stiff resistance ebbed away. The home side took a surprise lead but it only energised Chelsea into a vigorous response that was rewarded with an emphatic victory, their eighth in the last ten games.
In the end they settled for a five-goal haul with Frank Lampard coming off the bench to drive home a late penalty which put him level with Kerry Dixon on 193 goals and in second place in Chelsea's all-time goalscoring list. Bobby Tambling is now just nine goals ahead while another Lampard landmark saw him join the legendary striker's record mark of 25 FA Cup goals for the club.
Chelsea made five changes from the team that had surrended tamely in midweek against QPR with Ba's arrival granting Torres a respite after his recent heavy workload. This was Rafa Benitez declaring his intention to use his big guns in a competition his club have won four times in the last six seasons as Juan Mata and Eden Hazard both returned.
Even before his goals, Ba's runs and ability to get away from his marker suggested the alliance could prove a fruitful one for the London side. Victor Moses guided a pass a fraction ahead of the new man as Chelsea began to exert pressure, confident they could deal with all that the home team could conjure in attack.
That confidence was shredded in the 22nd minute when Southampton struck with a surprisingly straightforward counter. Jason Puncheon's exquisite pass found Gary Cahill lax in his marking duties and Jay Rodriguez exploited the room afforded him as he clipped the ball beyond the advancing Ross Turnbull.
If the breakthrough was unexpected it was enthusiastically received by the home support though they would have predicted the angry response from their opponents. Hazard bent a shot a fraction the wrong side of the far post and he was influential in the construction of the equaliser as he picked out Mata who coolly sidestepped the covering defender. The ball was heading for the net and as Ba and Steven Davis converged on the line it was the £7.5million man who applied the final touch.
Two alarming moments for Boruc when he failed to gather worthy but hardly difficult efforts did nothing to lessen the sense that Chelsea were now well in charge. The first half was all but up when Ashley Cole set up Moses with a neat cut-back and the winger nailed it with a sweet half-volley.
The second period proved a much more routine affair with Chelsea opening up Southampton at will and Turnbull distinguishing himself with a brilliant double save. The game was over as a contest in the 51st minute when Mata's cross provided Branislav Ivanovic with a simple header and with the home team's resistance now waning alarmingly Ba helped himself to a second, his dash to the near post nicely complemented by Hazard's low pass. The finish was emphatic.
"It is always important for a striker to score goals but Ba's movement and understanding of the team was really impressive as well," said Benitez. "It is important for the team to have different options in attack and Ba gives us that."
With seven minutes left Lampard tried to scoop the ball forward and Davis was penalised for hands. Inevitably Lampard converted to embellish his place in the Chelsea record books. But he was more than happy for Ba to hog the headlines.

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Boruc; Cork, Yoshida, Fonte (Hooiveld, 64), Shaw; S Davis, Schneiderlin De Ridder, 55); Puncheon (Lee, 76), Ward-Prowse, Guly; Rodriguez.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Turnbull; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic (Lampard, 65), Cole; Ramires, Luiz; Mata (Oscar, 79), Hazard, Moses (Marin, 73); Ba.

Referee: Mike Dean.
Man of the match: Mata (Chelsea)
Match rating: 6/10

==============

Observer:

Chelsea's Demba Ba scores two on his debut in rout at Southampton
Sachin Nakrani at St Mary's

As Fernando Torres sat on the substitutes' bench and watched Chelsea haul themselves back into this tie, he may well have felt his humiliation was complete. It took the Spaniard 14 games, 732 minutes to be precise, to score his first goal for Chelsea after his £50m transfer from Liverpool in January 2011, and here was Demba Ba requiring just 61 minutes to get two on his debut for the club.
It was the sort of impact a striker can only dream of and could well provide Torres with a deepening of his Stamford Bridge nightmare. For the 28-year-old, having started 31 of Chelsea's 33 competitive games this season, may now have to get used to watching from the sidelines. Certainly he has stiff competition for the team's lone-striker berth with Ba putting in an impressive display following his £7m arrival from Newcastle on Friday, showing a level of muscular determination – something that has been sorely lacking in Torres's play over the past two years.
The first of his goals got Chelsea on level terms after they had fallen behind to Jay Rodriguez's opener while his second extended the FA Cup holders' lead to 4-1. Rafa Benítez, Chelsea's interim manager, insisted the pair could play together in attack but he is a man who prefers one up front and, on current form, Ba is undoubtedly the frontrunner for that role.
"I prefer this problem," said Benítez when asked it would be difficult for him to choose between Torres and Ba. "For some time we have only had one striker and it is important for the team to have these different options. They can compete or they can play together. We will see."
Ba's display was just one of the highlights of a hugely satisfactory afternoon for Chelsea, who well and truly banished the painful memories of Wednesday's shock 1-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers with a display of ruthless attacking swagger, the seal on which was placed with a Frank Lampard penalty on 83 minutes that enabled the midfielder, who came on as a 65th minute substitute, to go level with Kerry Dixon as Chelsea's second all-time record scorer with 193 goals, nine behind Bobby Tambling. Little wonder those packed into the away end could be heard chanting: "Sign him up," soon after the 34-year-old had placed the ball past Artur Boruc in the Southampton goal.
"It is a great achievement for Frank and hopefully he can score more goals until the end of the season," Benítez said before he was then asked to respond to claims that Lampard's agent was in discussions with Chelsea about a contract extension despite having claimed last week that the player would definitely leave in the summer, when his deal ends. "Frank is under contract and he is doing fine," Benítez replied. "I know they have had conversations but the main thing for me is to bring the best out of him."
By the time Lampard had scored, it was hard to remember that Chelsea had at one stage looked in danger of losing this tie. The visitors had begun sluggishly against well-organised opponents and it did not come as a huge shock when Rodriguez, a surprise selection in attack over Southampton's top scorer Rickie Lambert, put his team ahead on 22 minutes with a low strike, having collected Jason Puncheon's through pass and run clean through following poor defending from César Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill.
It took going behind for Chelsea to wake up and, as has often been the case this season, Juan Mata proved to be their spark. Following a quick exchange of passes between Victor Moses and Eden Hazard, the Spaniard lifted the ball over Boruc and presented Ba with the opportunity to open his Chelsea account on 35 minutes, with the Senegal striker getting in front of Steven Davis to stab the ball into an empty net.
Ten minutes later, and after more relentless pressure from the visitors, it was 2-1, with Moses driving the ball in from inside the area. Branislav Ivanovic headed in Mata's cross to make it 3-1 before Ba got his second of the game, slotting in Hazard's cross from close range having done well initially to keep possession for Chelsea while under pressure from José Fonte. The Southampton captain injured his knee in the tussle and had to be carried off on a stretcher soon afterwards.
Lampard added to the Saints misery late on following Davis's handball. The holders march on.


=================

Telegraph:
Southampton 1 Chelsea 5:

Debut delight: Chelsea's Demba Ba scored twice for the FA Cup holders in their defeat of Southampton at St Mary's
By Oliver Brown, St Mary's Stadium

It required a mere 35 minutes for Demba Ba to make his imperious statement in Chelsea’s royal blue, as the Senegalese striker marked an extraordinary debut for the club with two beautifully-taken goals. No wonder Fernando Torres, exiled to the bench for this savage dismembering of a toothless Southampton, watched on with such a thunderous expression.
To emphasise the contrast, Torres had needed 12 hours and 20 minutes to register his first strike in his 14th game for Chelsea. And lest we forget, he cost Roman Abramovich £43 million more than that unerring poacher Ba.
Finally, if belatedly, the owner can feel as if he is deriving some semblance of value for money from his front men.
Ba’s brace also helped safeguard Chelsea’s superlative recent FA Cup record, encompassing four triumphs in the past decade. Few would discount a fifth on the evidence of this wholly convincing win, which featured another goal for Frank Lampard, who drew level with Kerry Dixon as the club’s second all-time leading scorer on 193.
Perhaps the only negative for Chelsea was the conduct of the fans, who detonated a firecracker in the crowd and threw a flare on to the pitch after Ba’s second. They also continued to round on interim manager Rafael Benítez with familiar chants of “fat Spanish waiter”. The Spaniard, despite inspiring this polished performance 72 hours after the league defeat to QPR, seems to be facing a losing battle to establish any degree of popularity.
For his own sanity, he chose to concentrate on Ba’s display. “He was really good,” Benítez said. “It’s always important for a striker to score goals but more than that it is the contribution to the team and the understanding of what we want to do.”
Ba was supported by a consummate exhibition of midfield creativity from Juan Mata, who was central to Chelsea’s every attack. But it was Southampton who struck first, as Jason Puncheon slid a perfect pass into the path of Jay Rodriguez, who who turned a low finish beyond Ross Turnbull.
Chelsea summoned a sense of urgency, with Eden Hazard curling an elegant strike within inches of Artur Boruc’s far post. This first spell of any pressure created the perfect opportunity for the debutant to flourish.
Juan Mata, inventive as ever, contrived to scoop the ball over the onrushing Boruc, and immediately Ba sensed blood. Scampering to the line to make sure he applied the final touch, he stuck out a leg and a first goal in Chelsea colours was his.
Chelsea were beginning to win the battles in midfield, courtesy of Mata and Hazard’s clever running. Cue Victor Moses to gatecrash the party with almost the final kick of the first half, demonstrating immaculate technique to seize upon Ashley Cole’s lay-off and lash a half-volley past Boruc. “It was the wrong time for us to concede,” lamented Southampton manager Nigel Adkins.
So it proved. Why, not even Branislav Ivanovic, rather less cultured in front of goal than the stylish Moses, would be denied as Chelsea continued their onslaught. He could thank Mata for the assist, after the Spaniard lofted an exquisite pass for him to dispatch an emphatic header.
There was time for Ba’s afternoon to become more memorable still. Meeting a neat pass from Hazard out on the right, he proved his instincts as a striker are as sharp as ever in heading his second goal for Chelsea, and his 15th of the season overall. The only man in blue apparently not celebrating was Torres, whose expression on the bench was bleak and pensive.
The final flourish of a decisive victory was supplied, aptly, by Lampard. Left-back Maya Yoshida was adjudged to have handled in the box and up stepped the substitute midfielder and perennial Chelsea favourite to stroke home the penalty to equal Dixon’s total.
“It is a great achievement for Frank,” said Benítez, who again refused to shed any light on Lampard’s continued contract negotiations. “I know they have conversations sometimes but the main thing for me as a coach is to bring the best out of him.”
And yet the fans’ pressure cannot be escaped. By the final whistle, the cries from the away end of “sign him up” had grown louder than ever.nalty to equal Dixon's benchmark. The cries from the away end of "sign him up" grew louder than ever.

Match details
Southampton (4-2-3-1): Boruc; Cork, Fonte (Hooiveld 64), Yoshida, Shaw; Schneiderlin (De Ridder 55), Davis; Puncheon, Ward-Prowse, Do Prado; Rodriguez.
Subs: Davis (g), Lambert, Lee, Mayuka, Reeves.
Booked: Ward-Prowse.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Turnbull; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic (Lampard 65), Cahill, Cole; Ramires, Luiz; Hazard, Mata (Oscar 80), Moses (Marin 77); Ba.
Subs: Hilario (g), Torres, Ferreira, Bertrand.
Referee: M Dean (Merseyside).

============

Mail:

Southampton 1 Chelsea 5: Ba off to perfect start by striking twice on debut to get Benitez out of trouble
By Malcolm Folley

If the art of a great striker is being in the right place at the right time, then Demba Ba could be a priceless asset for Chelsea.

His first goal for the club he joined for £7.5million just 24 hours earlier was scored from beneath Southampton’s crossbar, barely inches from the goal-line.
ubilantly, Ba slammed the ball into the roof of the net in the 35th minute after the majestic Juan Mata had deftly flicked the ball over goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

In an instant, Ba had found a goal to settle him down; in an instant, he had avoided the curse that befell Fernando Torres on his £50million move from Liverpool to Chelsea two years ago.

Torres went 12 hours and 12 minutes before he finally scored on  his 14th appearance for Chelsea.  Ba collected his second, and Chelsea’s fourth, in the 61st minute of his debut.
It was the work of an instinctive marksman as he created space with a finely-judged run to beat Boruc at his near post. All nine of Chelsea’s outfield players converged on Ba to shower him in congratulations.

Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez could not have been more delighted by Ba’s impact. ‘It’s important for strikers to score goals,’ said Benitez. ‘But it was not just his goals that pleased me. He showed that he is clever and could understand everything we are trying to do with our movement and our play.’

Benitez welcomed the possibility of finally having options at the focal point of Chelsea’s attack. ‘I prefer this problem,’ he smiled. ‘It’s important to have options. Torres and Ba can compete with one another; or they could play together in the same team.’
Regardless of his unpopularity with the fans, Benitez is convinced that he has galvanised a squad of high earners, containing some with equally inflated egos, into buying into the way he wants them to play. ‘The players have been fantastic,’ he said.
‘They have responded to what we want to do and I am really pleased. People have to ask: Why was a new manager coming in? Because something was wrong. The main thing for me, in what we have achieved, is the belief of the players in what we are doing. We are scoring a lot of goals and playing good football.’

Incredibly, Chelsea’s defence of the FA Cup began unpromisingly. Southampton went ahead after 22 minutes when Jason Puncheon struck a pass to Jay Rodriguez, who benefited from a lapse of concentration by Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.  Rodriguez directed the ball past Ross Turnbull, deputising for the injured Petr Cech, with a skilful finish with the outside of his right foot.

The goal stunned Chelsea into a decisive response from which Nigel Adkin’s team never recovered. While Ba may never score a simpler goal, the construction of Chelsea’s equaliser was magnificent. Mata fed the ball to Victor Moses, whose back-heel put Hazard in space.

The Belgian’s square ball was gathered with one touch by Mata and with his second he lifted the ball over Boruc, allowing Ba to arrive and get on the Chelsea scoresheet.

Moses claimed Chelsea’s second with a left-footed shot into the far corner late on in the first half but then the visitors turned the second half into a rout.

Branislav Ivanovic helped himself to the third with a sharp header from a Mata cross, then Ba intervened again to the acclaim of his new team-mates.

The entrance of Frank Lampard as a 65th minute substitute only enhanced the drama and, inevitably, he contributed the final goal. His 83rd-minute penalty was the 25th he has scored for Chelsea in the FA Cup, equalling the club record held by Bobby Tambling; and it was his 193rd in total to place himself in a tie with striker Kerry Dixon.

‘Sign him up, sign him up,’ chanted Chelsea fans growing more agitated by the week that Lampard could be allowed to leave the club at the end of the season.

For now, though, Benitez can see only rainbows on the horizon with a Capital One Cup semi-final against Swansea awaiting his attention.


==============

Mirror:

Southampton 1-5 Chelsea
Can't handle Ba: Chelsea debutant's double settles Cup clash with Southampton

By Peter White

Two goals from Demba Ba and further strikes from Ivanovic, Moses and Lampard help the holders overcome shock opener by the hosts

New £7million signing Demba Ba wasted no time in impressing Chelsea fans as he led the FA Cup third round rout of Southampton at St Mary’s.
Ba sent out a clear warning to £50m misfit Fernando Torres that he wants to be Chelsea’s No.1 hitman as he scored twice as Rafael ­Benitez’s side came from ­behind to secure the win.
The Senegal striker was only denied his hat-trick by a late reflex save by Saints keeper Artur Boruc.
Torres could only look on from the bench and surely Ba will figure in Chelsea’s Capital One Cup semi-final first leg against Swansea on Wednesday night. As for Saints, they must lick their wounds and try to ensure ­Premier League survival.
Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez was quick to praise Ba.
“It is ­important for a striker to score, but more important was his movement and understanding with the team,” said Benitez.
“He was clever and doing everything well on the pitch.”
Benitez hinted that there was room for both Ba and Torres up front, insisting: “They can play together and I prefer to have that problem. Ba was playing up front with Cisse at Newcastle only last month.”
He added: “It is too early to say we can win the FA Cup again this year. We are happy to progress and have another chance. We are ­moving in the right direction.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Saints took the lead after 22 minutes.
Jason Puncheon picked out ­Rodriguez with a superb crossfield pass, allowing the striker to run into the box and calmly slot his shot beyond Ross Turnbull.
But 13 minutes after falling behind Chelsea forced the equaliser – and there was little doubt that even if the ball was already over the line before Ba hammered it into the roof of the net, the new man was going to claim it. Victor Moses got the better of Jack Cork with a delightful flick that freed Eden Hazard.
With Saints frantically back-pedalling, Hazard crossed low for Juan Mata to nudge the ball over Boruc and towards the back of the net before Ba ­darted in – just to make sure.
Chelsea’s dominance deservedly earned them the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Skipper Ashley Cole ventured down the left and pulled the ball back for Moses, who ­thundered home an angled half-volley well out of Boruc’s reach.
Once ahead, Chelsea played with the composure and ­confidence you would expect from a side that have won this coveted cup four times in the previous six years.
And it was no surprise when the visitors extended their lead on 52 ­minutes.
Mata jinked in from the left before crossing perfectly for Branislav Ivanovic to rise and plant a close-range header into the net to the delight of the 4,592 Chelsea fans who made their way to the south coast.
The travelling supporters were in full voice again as ­Hazard’s low ball into the box was turned in by Ba for ­Chelsea’s fourth. In trying to deny Ba, Saints skipper Jose Fonte slipped awkwardly and had to be carried off.
Frank Lampard, who looks to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge, came on as 65th minute sub as the holders ­continued their cakewalk ­towards the fourth round. And when Steven Davis ­handled in the area on 82 minutes, Lampard took ­responsibility to fire home the fifth from the spot.
It was his club record-equalling 25th goal in this competition – with Ba not even bothering to ask if he could have the opportunity to complete his hat-trick.
Saints boss Nigel Adkins said: “Chelsea were very good after we started ­brightly. The killer blow came just before half-time with their second goal and in the ­second half, they took it away from us. You have to give them credit.”

-------------

Sun:

Southampton 1 Chelsea 5
By MARK IRWIN

DEMBA BA proved an instant Chelsea hit as the Cup holders showed they will not let the trophy go without a fight.

Little more than 24 hours after his £7.5million move from Newcastle, Ba celebrated his Chelsea debut with his first goals for the club.

With Fernando Torres looking on gloomily from the subs’ bench, the Senegalese hitman scored twice in an hour to complete a magnificent first afternoon’s work.
On the day that his former club were bundled out of the competition just along the coast at Brighton, Ba made sure there were no such problems for his new employers.

His first came after 35 minutes when he prodded over the line from an exquisite chip by the magnificent Juan Mata.

The ball might well have found the net without Ba’s last-ditch intervention, but with Saints defender Steven Davis desperately trying to clear, it was better safe than sorry.
And no one was going to deny the new guy the credit as Chelsea fought back from a goal down to maintain their proud FA Cup record.

Ba has been brought to Stamford Bridge to lift some of the workload off the flagging Torres.

And it will not have been lost on seasoned Chelsea watchers that while the £50m Spaniard took three months and 14 games to score his first goal for the club, Ba broke his duck in little more than half an hour.
Nor will they have missed the fact that Ba was only a foot out from goal when he struck while Torres gets a nosebleed if he enters the six-yard box.

Those goals were just the tonic for Blues boss Rafa Benitez and his flagging players after Wednesday’s damaging home defeat by QPR in the Premier League.

For it briefly looked as if things were going to get even worse for Chelsea when they fell behind again to Jay Rodriguez’s 22nd-minute goal.
Jason Puncheon’s angled pass was all it took to open up the visitors’ defence as England Under-21 star Rodriguez galloped away from Gary Cahill to shoot beyond Ross Turnbull.

It was a goal which appeared to vindicate Southampton boss Nigel Adkins’ bold decision to leave top-scorer Rickie Lambert on the bench.

But the Saints’ joy was short-lived and once Ba had levelled there was only ever going to be one winner of this third-round tie.
Tricky winger Victor Moses fired Chelsea ahead in first-half stoppage time with a shot of astonishing power considering the complete lack of backlift.

And defender Branislav Ivanovic ended any Saints thoughts of a second-half comeback when he rose to head in Mata’s 51st-minute pinpoint cross.

The best, though, was yet to come and 10 minutes later Ba guaranteed immediate hero’s status with the goal of the game

Ramires found Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard on the edge of the area and he weighed up all his options before rolling a precise ball into the box for Ba to muscle his way past Jose Fonte and hammer the ball home.

Not that Chelsea were finished there and seven minutes from time Frank Lampard became the club’s joint second-top scorer when he equalled Kerry Dixon’s 193-goal tally from the penalty spot following a Davis handball.

He also levelled Bobby Tambling’s club record 35 FA Cup goals, prompting further demands from the supporters to give him a new contract to replace the one which runs out in six months.

Southampton, bizarrely wearing an all-white ‘FA Cup kit’ simply had no answers to a Chelsea team missing some familiar faces — but they were no less resilient for that.

With John Terry and Petr Cech injured and Lampard on the bench, Ashley Cole captained the team for the first time in his Blues career.

It was appropriate that he should be handed the armband for the competition which he has won more than any other player in history.

For while the FA Cup might not mean much to club owner Roman Abramovich, it remains a piece of silverware which his players still treasure after lifting the trophy four times in the last six years.

And with the Premier League set to slip through their grasp like the Champions League, Community Shield, European Super Cup and World Club Championships, the FA Cup may now represent Chelsea’s best chance of success this season.

Yet even if they do slug it out all the way to Wembley in May, it is a fair bet that the fans will still hate their interim manager.

Once again yesterday the travelling supporters were still singing the name of former boss Roberto Di Matteo while deriding Benitez as a “fat Spanish waiter”.
So the best Rafa can probably hope for from this season is to add a trophy or two to his CV before clearing his Stamford Bridge office in the summer and clearing off.

With Ba on board and Lampard determined to go out with a bang, it would take a brave man to bet against another blue day at Wembley on May 11.


================

Express:

SOUTHAMPTON 1 - CHELSEA 5: RAFA BENITEZ HAILS DEMBA BA'S TWO-GOAL DEBUT

By Colin Mafham

RAFA BENITEZ last night hailed two-goal debutant Demba Ba for helping him step up his bid to get the Chelsea job permanently.

Big question marks had been raised over the beleaguered Rafa’s decision to go for a striker who carries serious doubts about his longterm fitness.
But the Senegalese striker answered his – and his coach’s critics – with a double blast to set Chelsea on their way to a 5-1 FA Cup stroll at Southampton.
Ba, who has now scored 15 goals so far this season, hit the ground running yesterday.
It might not have been enough to silence Benitez’s cruel critics among the Chelsea faithful, but it certainly went down well with the boss.
“It is always important for a striker to score goals,” said Benitez.
“But he was very clever in the way he understood the team’s movement and what we are trying to achieve,”
Ba’s early success must have been an interesting watch for Fernando Torres, the man he replaced yesterday.
Torres went more than 12 hours before he scored his first goal for Chelsea following his £50million move from Liverpool.
It was also enough to convince Benitez that he has got something special going at Chelsea – and to finally break his silence about why he went there in the first place and displaced the popular Roberto di Matteo in the process.
“Why is a new manager coming? Because something is wrong,” he claimed.
“As manager you have to win games and do really well. And that is now my job.”
Then he revealed how the Chelsea players have now bought into his philosophy and responded in a way that could bring them new successes this season – as well as landing him the job on a permanent basis.
“People didn’t realise how difficult it could have been, but the players have been fantastic.
“They have responded very well.”
Benitez singled out yesterday’s star man Juan Mata for particular praise despite replacing the Spanish playmaker with Brazilian Oscar in the second half.
“He is always a threat and to have players like him and Hazard is a huge bonus.”
Benitez revealed that Victor Moses had received special dispensation from the Nigerian FA to play yesterday before flying off to South Africa for the African Cup of Nations.
 “To have scored and played so well will have been very good for him,” Rafa added.
Defeated Southampton boss Nigel Adkins admitted that his side had been beaten by a much better side.
“The Chelsea goal just before half time was a killer,” he said.
“Then they played very well indeed after that.
“There was a lot of quality on show in that Chelsea team and they showed just how good their players are.
“They have a good manager and had an array of talent out there which was just too good for us in the end. “But at the end of the day it’s just a cup tie.
“Now we have a week to get over this and get ready for our Premier League campaign.”


===================


Star:

SOUTHAMPTON 1 - CHELSEA 5: DEMBA A BA BA BARGAIN

By Harry Pratt

DEMBA BA cranked up the heat on Fernando Torres as he grabbed a dream double on his debut.
The £7.5million Senegal hitman needed just 35 minutes to open his account for the club he joined from Newcastle 24 hours earlier – and put the FA Cup holders on their way to a Third Round romp.
Not a bad way to kick off your Chelsea career, especially when you consider it took £50m record buy Torres a staggering 14 games – or 12 hours and 12 minutes – to find the net for the Blues.
And if his close-range tap-in was not enough of a message to Torres – on the bench here – that he faces a real fight to lead the Londoners’ line, Ba’s second of the day rammed the point home.
All of which leaves Rafa Benitez with a major selection dilemma going into this week’s Capital One Cup semi-final, first-leg against Swansea.
Benitez said: “It is important for strikers to score goals but his team contribution was even better.
“Everything he did pleased me. From his movement, his understanding of what his team-mates were doing and his very clever touches and runs.
“As a manager I prefer the headache of who to select. We want competition for places. But I also believe Demba and Fernando can play together.”
Ba’s inclusion, ahead of Torres, was the major talking point – although he was not the centre of attention for long when the Saints stormed ahead after 21 minutes.
With pretty much the first serious attack of the day, Jason Puncheon slipped in Jay Rodriguez and the former Burnley man converted in clinical fashion.
The lead did not last long. Within 14 minutes Ba levelled from a yard out, finishing off a wonderful move involving Juan Mata and Eden Hazard.
Then in time added on at the end of the half, Victor Moses put the Cup holders – looking to win the competition for the fifth time in seven years – 2-1 up with a blistering drive.
Chelsea then went on the rampage. Branislav Ivanovic powered in Mata’s cross, then Ba took his season’s total to 15, firing in from Hazard before substitute Frank Lampard completed the rout with a penalty seven minutes from time.
Saints boss Nigel Adkins said: “Chelsea were just too good in the second half.”