In the wake of the developments of last night, when the Super League’s plans came crumbling down, Chelsea’s draw against Brighton will be seen as two points dropped. With the Champions League back on the menu, the Blues were looking for a win only to be held back by their opponents on the night.
Hundreds of fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge as the team buses rolled in to protest the Super League. Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor and legend, Petr Cech, had to make a public appearance to assure the gathered fans that the club will do what’s right. Shortly after, news broke of the Blues’ withdrawal from the much-maligned tournament.
As fans celebrated outside with loud cheers and chants, the team took to the pitch to play Brighton and Hove Albion. With UEFA Champions League qualification back on the menu, a win was what Thomas Tuchel’s side needed. However, they were held at home in a drab draw, with the Blues creating very few clear cut opportunities for themselves.
Tuchel named a much-changed side for the midweek Premier League encounter, with several key players rested. Mason Mount dropped deep to take an injured Mateo Kovacic’s place in midfield, while Marcos Alonso started in place of Ben Chilwell. The biggest call Tuchel made was in goal, where he retained Kepa Arrizabalaga instead of Edouard Mendy. The Spaniard started just his second league game under the new German head coach, although he remains Chelsea’s ‘number one’ goalkeeper in the FA Cup.
As usual, Chelsea enjoyed the majority of possession during the match but created very few chances to show for it. The only openings the Blues carved out for themselves during the first half came directly from Brighton’s defensive errors. However, they were unable to make the Seagulls pay for their mistakes. Kai Havertz, who started as the most advanced attacker, spurned a particularly good chance when the ball fell to him inside the box by shooting straight at the goalkeeper.
Chelsea didn’t create much in the first half, and they did even less in the second. Brighton, on the contrary, were by far the more dangerous team during the second half and came close to scoring on several occasions. Substitute Adam Lallana shot wide from close range before Danny Welbeck hit the post. The latter’s goal-bound follow-up was cleared almost off the line by the Chelsea defence. Arrizabalaga was called into action too, but the Spaniard did well to save a fierce shot from just inside the box.
Tuchel’s men only managed to create half chances for themselves. Christian Pulisic had his shot blocked by Ben White before Olivier Giroud missed some semi-decent chances. By the end, the Blues had the advantage in terms of personnel on the pitch, with White receiving his marching orders from the referee. However, the red card came too late into the match for Tuchel’s side to really make it count.
Following the draw, Chelsea did move to fourth in the league table. Their jump had significance following the collapse of the Super League as Champions League qualification was suddenly back on the agenda. The Blues leapfrogged West Ham United in the final UCL qualification spot. The two teams are currently on the same number of points (55), but Chelsea are above the Hammers in the table owing to a superior goal difference.
Furthermore, Tuchel’s side is now just one point behind Leicester City, although the Foxes do have a game in hand. Leicester take on West Bromwich Albion next on the back of two league defeats. Chelsea, meanwhile, visit West Ham in a direct battle for the fourth spot.
