Chelsea routs Southampton 4-0 on frustrating night for Cole Palmer. Brighton and Palace win

Chelsea wasn't so reliant on Cole Palmer this time.

On a frustrating evening for the England star, his Chelsea teammates stepped up — as demanded by their manager — to share the goals in a 4-0 thrashing of last-place Southampton in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella were the scorers as Chelsea ended a three-match losing run by beating a team destined to go down, perhaps as one of the worst-performing teams to ever play in the Premier League. Southampton has just nine points from 27 games.

As for Palmer, he will wonder how he didn't get on the score sheet and add to his 14 league goals so far this season.

The best of his many opportunities at Stamford Bridge came midway through the first half when he was played clean through one-on-one with Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. He delayed and delayed and then shot too close to Ramsdale, who parried the effort away.

After wasting another chance in the second half, Palmer appeared to laugh at himself.

Palmer is on his driest run since joining Chelsea from Manchester City in September 2023. He hasn't scored in seven games now.

On the eve of the match against Southampton, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said Palmer's dip in productivity has probably arisen because “we rely on him for everything.”

Maresca returned to that same theme after the game.

“He has to continue to work, continue to be happy, continue to laugh they way he does,” the coach said. “We are completely happy with him. It is normal to go through a moment where you struggle to score but it doesn’t matter. Just continue and you are going to score many goals.”

Chelsea climbed to fourth place in the standings. The Premier League is likely to get five qualification berths for next season's Champions League.

Bournemouth is a more unlikely contender for Champions League qualification, its ambitions boosted by an 11-match unbeaten run in the league from late November to the end of January.

However, the unheralded south-coast club has now lost three of its last four league matches, the latest being a 2-1 reverse at Brighton after Danny Welbeck scored the 75th-minute winner — three minutes after coming off the bench.

Justin Kluivert had equalized for Bournemouth in the 61st, canceling out Joao Pedro's 12th-minute opener from the penalty spot after he was fouled by goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Bournemouth started the match in sixth place — one point behind fifth — but dropped to seventh and has now been joined on 43 points by Brighton, another improbable candidate for Champions League qualification.

It was a fourth straight win in all competitions for Brighton since a 7-0 loss at Nottingham Forest.

Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa 4-1 at home, with Ismaila Sarr scoring twice for the hosts in a match watched by England men's coach Thomas Tuchel.

Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah also netted for Palace, with Morgan Rogers replying for Villa.

Fulham won 2-1 at Wolverhampton thanks to a goal in the first minute by Ryan Sessegnon and a winner by Rodrigo Muniz.

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Joao Gomes, right, scores their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon scores their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Jacob King/PA via AP)

Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, left, celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game with teammate Leon Bailey during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

England manager Thomas Tuchel in the stands ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, at Selhurst Park, London, Tuesday Feb. 25, 2025. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Brighton and Hove Albion's Joao Pedro scores his side's first goal of the game from the penalty spot during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and AFC Bournemouth, at American Express Stadium, Brighton, England, Tuesday Feb. 25, 2025. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)

Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match at American Express Stadium, Brighton, England, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)

Brighton and Hove Albion's Joao Pedro, center, celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game with team-mates during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and AFC Bournemouth, at American Express Stadium, Brighton, England, Tuesday Feb. 25, 2025. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Pedro Neto, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Cole Palmer, left, and Southampton's Will Smallbone battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Southampton at Stamford Bridge, London, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)