Chelsea hosted Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge and ended up dropping more points as a late equalizer from Danny Welbeck ensured that the game ended 1-1. The hosts dominated the opening half an hour and were rewarded as Romelu Lukaku put them in front via a Mason Mount corner. A major blow came for Chelsea when Reece James was forced off the field with a hamstring injury at the same time when Andreas Christensen too was struggling. Christensen had to be replaced too during the break, leaving the Blues short-handed in the second half.
Brighton started the brighter side in the second half and came close multiple times to scoring but couldn’t convert its chances. Just as the Seagulls were all over the hosts, Chelsea had the chance to score on the counter, but Callum Hudson-Odoi being one-on-one with the goalkeeper scuffed his chance of giving Chelsea a much-needed two-goal advantage. With Brighton dominating the Blues, Thomas Tuchel introduced N’Golo Kante to assert his dominance in the midfield but that was not enough as Welbeck scored a stoppage-time header to equalize. This goal effectively ended any title hopes the Blues had for the current league campaign.
Here’s how each Chelsea player fared against a dominant Brighton side:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 7/10
The Senegalese international was one of the better players on the field for Chelsea. In the first half, Edouard Mendy had a few saves to make but all of them were straight to him. In the second half though, he was called into action more than he would have expected. Making save after save, Mendy kept the Blues in the game right until the stoppage time equalizer. If not for him, they might’ve dropped all three points.
Cesar Azpilicueta (Right centerback): 7/10
Cesar Azpilicueta made his 450th appearance for the Blues on Wednesday and almost opened the scoring in the 17′ when his scuffed shot struck the post. The Spaniard kept the defense line arranged and resolute as Brighton was all over the hosts’ majority of the time until the final few moments in the game.
Andreas Christensen (Centerback): 6/10
Starting in place of the injured Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen had a decent start to the game and didn’t have much to do in the opening for half an hour. But as Brighton started dominating the game, he picked up an injury. He played his way through it and made some crucial interceptions and blocks. In the end, Christensen was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah during the halftime break.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 7/10
Antonio Rudiger came in clutch many times for Chelsea with his last-ditch tackles and blocks. The German centerback blocked major goal-scoring chances from Tariq Lamptey and Neal Maupay during the game. He got booked for a lunging challenge on Lamptey in the first half. He maybe could have done a bit better to prevent Welbeck’s equalizer in the 91′.
Trevoh Chalobah (Centerback): 6/10
Chalobah came on due to another injury to Christensen during the halftime break. Playing in the center of the defense, Chalobah looked resilient and played well when Brighton was bombarding the Chelsea goal. He definitely could have done a bit better with the equalizing goal.
Christian Pulisic (Right wingback): 6/10
Christian Pulisic was deployed as a right wingback and had a very average game. The American international couldn’t showcase his true ability. Marc Cucurella and other Brighton players turned out to be a handful for Pulisic and he didn’t get many chances to go forward.
Jorginho (Central midfielder): 6/10
The Italian midfielder had a very quiet first half and didn’t have much to do as Brighton had most of the ball. In the second half, as the Seagulls piled on the pressure on the hosts, Jorginho struggled majorly. The midfielder kept giving the ball away with bad first touches. His passing was nowhere near the level he had showcased before.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 6.5/10
Mateo Kovacic started his first game in the Premier League since October and looked rusty from the get-go. Giving the ball away cheaply and getting dispossessed were a regular occurrence in the Croatians game on Wednesday as the Blues’ exhausted midfield got overrun.
Reece James (Left wingback): 5/10
Reece James started the game on the left-hand side of the pitch but his game was short-lived as the English international had to be taken off due to an injury. It’s unfortunately another big worry for Chelsea. He was replaced by Marcos Alonso in the 28′.
Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 5/10
Alonso came on for an injured James in the 28′ and looked shaky and gassed from the off. He had a hard time dealing with the pace and quick feet of Lamptey. Alonso should have gotten to rest but it seems as if no one can get any opportunities to recharge due to the extreme circumstances.
N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 7/10
N’Golo Kante came on for a struggling Hudson-Odoi in the 67′ and changed the complexion of the game. After his introduction, Chelsea had a lot of the ball and played better-attacking football. The ultimate game-changer even though the Blues dropped points.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 7.5/10
Mason Mount helped open the scoring by putting his corner on a plate for Lukaku to score his second goal in as many games. Throughout the game, Mount had the energy and desire to win the ball back and had a good battle with Cucurella. In the second half, things got a bit fiery between he and Yves Bissouma for which both of them got booked. Mount also looked to have netted the Blues’ second goal at the death, but was controversially called for a foul as Brighton charged down the pitch to equalize. Otherwise it was another top performance from Mr. Chelsea himself.
Romelu Lukaku (Striker): 8/10
By far the best Chelsea player on the pitch on Wednesday was Lukaku. Throughout the game, the Belgian striker was a menace for the Brighton defenders and kept them busy with his runs and hold-up play. Lukaku opened the scoring in the 28′ via an inch-perfect Mount corner. He bullied Maupay en route to scoring. Lukaku being the focal point and holding up play was very much missed by the team during his injuries and COVID-19 stint.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Left winger): 2/10
By far the worst player on the pitch on Wednesday was Hudson-Odoi. The academy graduate in the first half was woeful with his passing in the final third and all the Brighton defenders got the better of him. In the second half, as Brighton was all over Chelsea, Hudson-Odoi had the chance to give the hosts a much-needed two-goal cushion. However, for some reason, he tried to square the ball to Mount. He messed up the squared ball instead of taking the shot himself, despite him being one on one with Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Tuchel should not persevere over him and play the likes of Pulisic in place of him going forward.
What rating would you give to each of the players? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!