A Blue Up North reviews Chelsea’s trip to Brighton.
Chelsea made the trip down to the south coast this Sunday as they visited Brighton and Hove Albion in a return to Premier League action. These 2 sides have only played each other 10 times, with The Seagulls gaining only 1 victory and that was in their first encounter back in 1933.
Since then, The Blues have knocked their opponents out of the FA Cup twice and gained a perfect 6 league victories out of 6. The biggest win of these was in the same fixture last season when Chelsea ran out a comfortable 4-0 score line.
The Blues completed their final group match in this season’s UEFA Europa League by gaining a 2-2 draw away to MOL Vidi of Hungary. However, this was undertaken by mostly back up players as most of the first choice were rested ahead of a busy Christmas schedule.
Maurizio Sarri only had 1 striker available after Alvaro Morata’s injury during Thursdays match. However, the manager did not start with Olivier Giroud, but instead kept with utilising Eden Hazard in a central role, flanked by Willian and Pedro. This front 3 combination worked well in last weekend’s victory over Manchester City, especially after that was Sarri’s first time in using it.
Striker Glenn Murray returned to the starting line up following his shoulder injury, as Florin Andone dropped to the bench. Manager Chris Hughton also brought in Dale Stephens to his starting line up which was missing Shane Duffy in defence.
Unlike most of the matches so far this season, Chelsea started well. The players quickly settled in to their possession based style. The front 3 looked lively and it was only a matter of time until The Blues led and again it was Hazard who was the main catalyst. His driving run in to the penalty box and beautifully crossed the ball was a stunning set up from absolutely nothing, and Pedro had the speed and the hunger to tap in the opening goal.
Brighton struggled to gain any foothold in the match. Their first attempt took until the 30th minute and only came about after a miscued pass from Kovacic, who was hesitant with his passing when stuck in a neat triangle deep in the Chelsea half.
However, the visitors remained in charge and it only took them a couple of minutes to double the lead. The lively Willian intercepted a Bournemouth pass and instantly sent Hazard through on goal.
It was a goal that summed up the balance of play in the first half. From a Brighton perspective, it was so avoidable but they gave away possession easily and regularly, while The Blues were in control and playing on their front foot throughout.
Glenn Murray, who has often been the hero for Chris Hughton’s side, had struggled to gain a footing, including not registering a shot or even a touch in the Chelsea penalty box in the opening 45 minutes. However, on the hour mark, Andone came on to replace Murray and Brighton’s improvement was almost instant.
As Chelsea and especially Hazard started to wane, the hosts pulled a goal back and pressed hard for an equaliser. However, despite some great play, they created few chances and Chelsea held on for a deserved victory.
Sarri would have been delighted with his side’s performance and attitude for the first hour, but might be concerned that they could not keep up this level for the entire match. However, for all the effort The Seagulls could muster, Chelsea were able to keep most of their play at a safe distance and it was really only a 92nd minute Dunk header that flashed wide of the goal in which they came close.
The Italian is likely to rest some of his first choice players for their next match, a home League Cup match against Bournemouth. With the regularity of their upcoming matches, the manager will need to rotate and test his key players carefully. Especially Eden Hazard, who looks like returning to his very best in the coming weeks and the club will rely on regularly must not be allowed to get too exhausted.
Now unbeaten in 3 and with the next 7 matches against clubs not in the top half of the Premier League, Chelsea are entering a period of the season where they could consolidate as strong a position as possible. If Sarri can utilise his squad and keep his key players as strong as possible, while maintaining a great set of results, then things are looking very promising for all Blues supporters.
Written by Jon Ellis, home and away season ticket holder. Follow him on Twitter @ClitheroeBlue
