Chelsea is back in the winning way after getting the better of Brighton & Hove Albion despite playing more than a half with a man down. The performance was stark opposite to their disappointing loss to Newcastle last week. The win will ease the pressure as they face a busy December.
After a few difficult results against Brighton in the premier league, the win is a welcome result for the fans. It is their third win over the Seagulls in the last few months. They had also won when the two sides met during pre-season and in the EFL Cup. Here are three talking points from the match.
1. Chelsea discipline continues to be an issue
After 14 rounds, CFC leads comfortably in the yellow cards table. They have received 47 yellow cards, four more than the second-best. In the case of red cards, they are only joint second with three.
The above stats are a problem for Mauricio Pochettino’s team. Last week, their captain, Reece James, received his marching orders. On Sunday, it was the standing captain Conor Gallagher. Instead of leading by example, they were letting the team down. Against Newcastle, James’s card was after the defeat was almost inevitable. But on Sunday, the match was still in their favor. Luckily for Gallagher, his teammates fought well for the win.
The second yellow Gallagher received was a little harsh. That decision could have been why Moises Caicedo was not given a yellow despite committing a few fouls. The fact that the rest of the players were calm while dealing with Brighton’s onslaught was a positive.
2. Resolute in defense
When Gallagher got sent off in the 45th minute, fans would have expected the worst. But the players stepped up massively to stop Brighton from scoring. The penalty scored by Enzo Fernandez eased the pressure as they extended the lead.
Losing first-choice and second-choice fullbacks was a setback before the match. But the centrebacks who occupied the backline did well in restricting Brighton’s attack.
The changes Roberto De Zerbi made in the 57th minute created a few issues for the Blues. But Pochettino trusted his men to deal with Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro, among others. After the third goal, the Seagulls stepped up their attempts even more.
Pochettino introduced Cole Palmer right after the third goal. Fresh legs in the middle meant Brighton could not afford to go all in. Later, when Mitoma and Pedro increased their influence, the Argentine introduced Ian Maatsen, which saw Chelsea in a back five. Those changes made Brighton’s task even more difficult.
It was a remarkable defense prowess shown by them despite having a disadvantage. The clearance Thiago Silva made in the dying minutes to stop the ball from getting to Pedro was the cherry on the cake.
3. The impact of the result
The performance will give them a lot of confidence. A lot of passion, commitment, and concentration were on display. Next for the Blues is Manchester United at Old Trafford. The return of James will be a boost.
It is far-fetched to expect Sunday’s result to be any poignant. The current scenario had played earlier as well. The expectation of the team kicking on after a good result, only to see them go back a few steps in their progress. However, a win is a win ahead of a busy December.