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Chelsea Women 4-2 Brighton: 3 standouts from come back win

By Caden Charpentier

KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Sjoeke Nuesken of Chelsea celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Barclays Women´s Super League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow on October 22, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Sjoeke Nuesken of Chelsea celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Barclays Women´s Super League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow on October 22, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images) /
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KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Sjoeke Nusken of Chelsea in action during the Barclays Women´s Super League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow on October 22, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images) /

3 standout players from Chelsea Women’s third victory of the campaign

1. Sjoeke Nusken

There’s a new silky German in town. No, their name is not Kai Havertz. That man is miles away warming up seats on the Arsenal bench. When you pull up to the stadium on a bike, it is almost a forgone conclusion what is going to transpire next. For the team by the sea, it wasn’t good news. It may be early in her career in blue, but Nusken is already like that Christmas gift we didn’t know we needed, but are thrilled to have in our possession.

The last time No. 6 in blue scored in a league contest, she found the scoresheet twice. That trend continued. Gone are the days where Nusken makes up one of the center back roles. Hayes deployed her in what looked to be a vertical double pivot with Sophie Ingle. She had the luxury to be able to go forward and effect play while coming back into defense to disrupt play at times. 80 percent of her shots forced the goalkeeper’s attention.

Hayes gave her take on the German midfielder post-game, stating, “I’d love to keep her as the pivot, but she likes going forward, so I see her somewhere between an 8 and a 10. She’s really aggressive, she’ll get in the box. Her second goal I thought was superb.”

Coming from a club which played her mostly as a center back, this has to be refreshing. She was a dog held on its lease at all times. When given a new owner, she was released to show her true colors. The midfielder is playing free. Her 13 passes into the final third were tied for the second most with her fellow midfielder partner Sophie Ingle. While you can still see the adjustments that need to be made, this was a masterclass we’ll remember for quite some time.

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