Match Report: Brighton 1-2 Chelsea | News | Official Site

Mauricio Pochettino’s fiftieth sport accountable for the Blues ended along with his aspect making it 4 consecutive Premier League wins for the primary time since October 2022.

Cole Palmer’s twenty second Premier League objective of the season – and his twenty seventh in all competitions –plus a second from Christopher Nkunku helped the Blues transfer three factors above Newcastle United and Manchester United in seventh and eight respectively, after the Pink Devils beat the Magpies 3-2 tonight.

It means Chelsea head into their closing sport of the season at dwelling to Bournemouth on Sunday realizing victory would assure us European soccer subsequent season.

Mauricio Pochettino made one change to his beginning line-up, as Malo Gusto got here in at right-back, Trevoh Chalobah shifted over to centre-half and Thiago Silva moved to the substitutes bench. Ben Chilwell was additionally again within the match-day squad for the primary time in virtually a month, as Axel Disasi dropped out.

Prime-four kind

The Blues’ regular enchancment this season means solely three groups have picked up extra Premier League factors than Chelsea (35) since Boxing Day 2023 – the present prime three: Manchester Metropolis, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Chelsea began the sport brightly on the Amex and Noni Madueke pressured a save from Bart Verbruggen as early because the third minute when he minimize in from the fitting flank and had a low left-footed shot from the sting of the world palmed away.

Simon Adingra shot vast for Brighton, following good play by Chelsea Academy graduate Tariq Lamptey, quickly after and Cole Palmer had an effort from 20 yards comfortably saved earlier than a second of controversy.

Penalty enchantment

The Blues had been awarded a penalty when former Brighton defender Marc Cucurella – making his fiftieth begin for the membership – was introduced down by Facundo Buonanotte however after a prolonged VAR test, which concerned referee Michael Salisbury coming to the pitchside monitor, the choice was overturned.

The Blues continued to go in the hunt for the opener and a minute after Julio Enciso headed over, the returning Gusto struck a dipping 25-yard shot which was heading in had it not been pushed over the bar by Verbruggen.

Opening objective

The sport’s opening objective did arrive simply after the half-hour mark when Palmer stooped low to move Cucurella’s cross from the left past the diving Verbruggen and into the far, prime nook.

The Blues may need had a second had it not been for a powerful block from Lewis Dunk as a slick transfer down the fitting noticed Palmer side-foot Gusto’s low cross goalwards, solely to be stopped by the England defender.

Chelsea thought the second had arrived in injury-time when Benoit Badiashile crossed expertly to the far publish and the ball was nodded in from shut vary by Jackson, however the ahead had simply strayed into an offside place.

With 9 minutes of injury-time, there was nonetheless time for Jackson to go shut as soon as extra earlier than the break when he toe-poked Palmer’s low cross over the bar.

Finish-to-end

However the first-half motion wasn’t completed there, as one other harmful cross from Lamptey on the fitting picked out the pinnacle of Joao Pedro and he rattled the crossbar.

The second interval began on the identical frantic tempo and Brighton had a penalty enchantment waved away contained in the opening minute when Adingra went down beneath the problem of Gusto.

The tip-to-end nature continued a minute later when a counter-attack from Chelsea ended with Nkunku taking pictures simply vast from exterior the world.

Chelsea’s counter-attacks continued to trigger Brighton issues and Gusto was subsequent to shoot vast of the far publish from the right-hand aspect of the penalty space.

Lamptey was inflicting issues down the fitting and Pascal Gross will really feel he confirmed have scored when he prodded the ball vast of the close to publish from contained in the six-yard field following one other harmful cross.

It felt like solely a matter of time earlier than the sport’s subsequent objective and it got here within the sixty fourth minute when Gusto drove contained in the penalty space and pulled the ball throughout the field for Nkunku to direct the ball previous Verbruggen.

Pink card

There was to be a disappointing finish to the evening for the Blues although when James was given a straight purple card for violent conduct following a VAR evaluate which appeared to indicate the defender kicking out at Joao Pedro whereas the skipper was laying on the ground.

Brighton continued to seek for a means again into the competition throughout ten minutes of injury-time and Adingra rattled the publish with a volley throughout objective.

The Blues needed to endure a nervy end when within the eighth minute of injury-time, a low cross from the left by Joao Pedro was poked dwelling on the close to publish by Danny Welbeck.

However we managed to carry on for all three factors and transfer as much as sixth place.

What it means

Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Brighton means we are actually in sixth place and three factors forward of each Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur are fifth however with solely three factors separating us and the Blues having a superior objective distinction of 4, it means we go into our closing sport with the potential of ending fifth, six, seventh and technically eighth, though the latter would take a exceptional set of outcomes with Pochettino’s males three factors and 17 targets higher off than the Pink Devils.

It’s nonetheless not precisely clear which place you must safe European soccer subsequent season on account of Manchester United reaching the FA Cup closing.

Ought to the Pink Devils lose to rivals Manchester Metropolis, then fifth and sixth will result in qualification for the Europa League, with seventh securing passage to the Europa Convention League.

If Erik ten Haag’s males beat Metropolis on Might 25, then one of many Europa League locations will go to United after which sixth will change into a Europa Convention League spot, with seventh lacking out on European soccer subsequent season.

What’s subsequent

Chelsea’s season will come to an finish on Sunday at dwelling to Bournemouth, while Tottenham journey to Sheffield United, Newcastle go to Brentford and Manchester United will probably be on the Amex towards Brighton.

The groups

Brighton (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey (Offiah 85), Webster, Dunk (Barco 46), Igor Julio; Gross, Gilmour (Baleba 70); Buonanotte (Welbeck 70), Enciso (Fati 85), Adingra; Joao Pedro
Unused substitutes: Steele, Lallana, Moder, Atom
Bookings: Dunk 29, Verbruggen 80
Objectives: Welbeck 90+7

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gusto (James 69), Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Gallagher (Ugochukwu 90+8), Caicedo; Madueke (Sterling 69), Palmer (Casadei 90+8), Mudryk (Nkunku 42); Jackson (Thiago Silva 89)
Unused substitutes: Bettinelli, Chilwell, Colwill
Bookings: Sterling 77, Caicedo 79
Pink card: James 88
Objectives: Palmer 34, Nkunku 64

Referee: Michael Salisbury
Attendance: 31, 555