Chelsea vs Brighton: Lukaku kept shining, Welbeck saved Brighton from the loss in stoppage time

Line-ups

• Chelsea: Azpilicueta C., Christensen A., Hudson-Odoi C., James R., Jorginho, Kovacic M., Lukaku R., Mendy E., Mount M., Pulisic C., Rudiger A.
• Brighton: Bissouma Y., Burn D., Cucurella M., Lallana A., Lamptey T., Mac Allister A., March S., Maupay N., Moder J., Sanchez R., Veltman J.

Match preview

Regarding the standings of these two clubs, it is quite visible to see that Chelsea have performed better, which led to their higher position. They lost the table-leading rank to Man City, but the current result of Thomas Tuchel’s club has been relatively good. Chelsea beat Aston Villa at 3-1 and narrowed the gap with The Sky Blues. 

On the other hand, Brighton also had a 2-0 win in their home ground in their latest match to end their string of disappointments earlier. They used to be at the top of the Premier League in the early stage of the season, but the busy schedule and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for coach Graham Bridge’s team to maintain their form. 

Standing in front of a weaker club in their home ground, Chelsea seemed to be quite confident and saw it as a chance to consolidate their position and gain another three points. 

A dramatic game until the first extra minute

Why do we call it a dramatic game? It is because that the game was thought to be another win for Chelsea, but things were changed until the stoppage time. 

There were several dangerous shots from both teams until Lukaku scored the opening goal for The Blues. In the 25th minute, Mason Mount had an accurate corner kick to the position of the Belgian striker Lukaku. The young player has been named in 12 Premier League goals this season, including seven goals and five assists, more than any English player. Up to the present, Mason Mount has achieved what he did throughout the entire 2019-20 season. This young and talented player will be a very promising factor in the squad of Chelsea. 

Lukaku scored for Chelsea

Mason Mount assisted Lukaku in the only goal for Chelsea

Moreover, the goal of Lukaku created a record for Chelsea with the most accurate headers in the Premier League. 

However, the match showed that the home club played quite poorly after the opening goal of Lukaku. Brighton turned out to possess and have more shots on the target in the rest of the game. They not only tried to defend their goal but also were thirsty for an equalizer. 

In the 56th minute, Hudson Odoi from Chelsea had a really good chance to double the difference with enough space to score. But his mistake was to decide to pass the ball, and Chelsea failed to score the second goal. 

All the attempts from the visitors are paid off in the stoppage time. Welbeck, who came to the pitch from the bench, was the salvage of Brighton. It was the second header in this game but from the away club. The defending line from Chelsea couldn’t stay firm until the last minutes of the game, and they had to pay for it.

Welbeck saved Brighton from the loss to Chelsea

Updated 2021-22 Premier League standing

With a disappointing draw with a weaker club like Brighton, Chelsea only gained one point after their 20th Premier League game instead of three points for a win. Therefore, The Blues are putting them in difficulty by widening the gap with Man City to eight points.

They have only one point greater than the third-ranked team, Liverpool, who have one played-match fewer and more goal differences than Chelsea. If Liverpool draw in their next game, Chelsea will fall to third place.

Brighton, on the other hand, climbed one stair from 11th to 10th rank, with 24 points after five wins, nine draws, and four losses. Due to the impact of the epidemic, Brighton have just played 18 games, so they totally have good chances to be in a higher position if they have a better form.

2021-22 Premier League table

References

Wikipedia

Betimate.com

Premierleague.com