Chelsea have endured two contests already without Emma Hayes on the sideline, and the entire club so far seems to be up to the task. A resounding win on Thursday night in Paris makes for a short turnaround for Chelsea as it heads to Broadfield Stadium to take on Brighton and Hove Albion in the league on Sunday evening.
The Blues picked up their second clean sheet of the season, looking to build on their defensive prowess, and figure out a way to get their star striker Sam Kerr back in the goals with more essential games on the horizon. Fran Kirby was still out due to illness, but the injection of Pernille Harder into the side against Everton balanced out the loss, giving the Blues another player other than Kerr to find lurking in the box.
Hope Powell and the Seagulls currently sit in 10th in the table, on three points, losing to both Arsenal and Manchester United by four goals while collecting a one-goal win over Reading at the Amex. To make matters worse for a side that finished in the middle of the WSL table last season, Brighton began its Conti Cup campaign with a shocking loss to Championship side Birmingham City.
Before the season, CFC sent out its most promising academy defender to Brighton on a season-long loan, investing in the club’s ability to develop its own homegrown talent. Jorja Fox is one of five players on the Seagulls’ roster that has played in every minute of every league game, but luckily for the Blues on Sunday, Fox is not allowed to play against her parent club. Brighton is still looking for a consistent goal threat, having only scored a goal in one game in the league campaign so far.
Powell and the Seagulls lost three of its top four goal-scorers in the WSL last season, and are having to rely on young players like Fox to pick up a lot of the slack created from a multitude of departures during the summer transfer window. Brighton’s top two players that collected the most minutes last season are a part of two different WSL clubs this season. Powell has to rely a whole lot on the 21-year-old Norwegian midfielder, Elisabeth Terland who lit up the top flight of Norwegian club football last season before signing for the Seagulls over the summer. The South Korean international, Lee Geum-min has played in every game for Brighton in the attack, netting two goals in the process, including one in the league against Reading.
The defense has to be something that Powell addresses either in the January window or over the summer because the backline is tied for the lead in most goals allowed in the WSL with nine. The Ireland international Megan Walsh has been between the sticks for Brighton for what is now the fourth straight season, and the Seagulls are on track to give up the most goals per game of any of her seasons with the club.
Both clubs at the moment seem to be going in opposite directions this season, but if past seasons told the Blues anything, it is that the Seagulls are a team that should be taken seriously. Last season, CFC played Brighton to a 0-0 draw away from home, pitching a shutout against the high-powered Blues attack that collected 26 shots through 90 minutes. The Seagulls have played Chelsea to two draws, and a game where Brighton ended up on the winning side, defeating the Blues 2-1 at Kingsmeadow through a goal by Megan Connolly in the final 15 minutes. Given the way Brighton lost to Manchester United and Arsenal, it is currently looking like Brighton is going to struggle more than it has in years past.
There is still plenty of time in the season for the Seagulls to find their stride and make a move up the table. They are currently tied on points with Liverpool and Manchester City. There was no mid-week fixture for Brighton, so it had an entire week to rest and prepare for the Blues’ trip down south. The outing in Paris was a massive high for Chelsea, but what makes this team special is its ability to compete in every competition.
The foot has to be on the gas pedal until the international break in the middle of November. Resting players could come into play with another Champions League contest on tap at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday, but the Blues must not look too far forward because Brighton has been one of those teams that give contenders in the league a run for their money when they least expect it. The entire away section at Broadfield Stadium is sold out, and behind those passionate fans, CFC should see themselves through with three points, heading back to Kingsmeadow for the first time since September with even more confidence as the challenges get steeper.