Chelsea faced off against Brighton and Hove Albion earlier this afternoon looking to build on their win over Manchester City last week. The Pensioners made a strong start to the game and took the lead in the 17th minute through Pedro’s tap-in from close range. Eden Hazard doubled the West London side’s lead in the 33rd minute when he was through on goal and scored with a smart finish. Chelsea went into the half-time break with a commanding 2-goal advantage.
The Seagulls came up with a response courtesy of Solly March’s goal in the 66th minute. However, it turned out to be a consolation goal as Maurizio Sarri’s men hung on to their narrow lead to come away with maximum points from the contest. The match finished with a scoreline of 2-1 in favour of the visitors.
Let’s take a look at how each Chelsea player performed during the match against the Seagulls.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 5.5/10
The Chelsea keeper was hardly tested in the first half, but he was called into action a few times in the second. He failed to keep a clean sheet on the day which should disappoint him.
RB: César Azpilicueta – 7/10
The Spanish talent defended valiantly and was not afraid to put his body on the line to stop the opposition from getting shots at goal.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger – 6.5/10
The German defender managed to keep Glenn Murray quiet and distributed the ball well during the game.
CB: David Luiz – 6/10
The Brazilian centre-back sprayed some marvellous passes out from the back. He commanded his box with authority and conviction but was caught napping in the lead up to the Brighton goal.
LB: Marcos Alonso – 5.5/10
The Spaniard was defensively sound and dealt with Anthony Knockaert’s threat quite well. Despite having a shot hit the post, Alonso was surprisingly quiet on the offensive end of the pitch.
CM: N’Golo Kanté – 6/10
The Frenchman was sloppy in possession of the ball but performed his defensive duties quite efficiently in midfield.
CM: Jorginho – 6/10
He played a lot of passes during the match but was guilty of moving the ball a bit slow which disrupted his team’s rhythm in the game.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 4.5/10
The Croat had a challenging game at the centre of the park. He threw away possession quite often which was unusual from a player of his ability.
RW: Pedro – 7/10
The Spaniard has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and that was evidenced by his simple but important tap-in from close range.
ST: Eden Hazard – 9/10
Another exceptional performance from the Belgian international! Hazard dominated the Brighton defence with his creativity and running. He was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.
LW: Willian – 7/10
The Brazilian worked hard for his team and got an assist on the night to show for his efforts.
Substitutes:
CM: Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7/10
The English prospect made some excellent runs after coming off the bench but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
CM: Ross Barkley – 6/10
The former Everton star came on to provide some fresh legs in midfield.
ST: Olivier Giroud – N/A
The French forward did not have enough time to make an impact in the game.
