Chelsea 1-2 Brighton: Lampard suffers 3-game losing streak, Gallagher nets

Both of these teams were playing their final game before upcoming, season-defining occasions. Only one will go into theirs lifted by events at Stamford Bridge.

Match Report

Chelsea host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

And there was little against Brighton to give them any encouragement they can turn things around. This was another deflating, dispiriting occasion for Chelsea.

One against a club they, led by watching co-owner Todd Boehly, have raided in the last year but remain some way off – on and off the pitch – a damning indictment.

Chelsea were comprehensively outplayed on their own pitch and such was Brighton’s dominance not even the changes made by Frank Lampard with the Madrid return in mind offer any mitigation.

Brighton, meanwhile, head to Wembley next week for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United. A repeat of this and they might well have a final to look forward to along with their pursuit of Europe in the remaining weeks of the season.

Theirs was a performance to underline all the outstanding work that has been carried out at the Amex and why the vultures continue to circle.

By some margin the best outfield players were in Brighton’s bright shirts – crimson apparently.

Moises Caicedo – another Seagulls star Chelsea like - and Kaoru Mitoma led the way but the list could easily have been seven or eight players long.

Chelsea needed goalkeeper and stand-in captain Kepa to be their standout performer but he had no answer to Danny Welbeck’s first-half header and Julio Enciso’s second-half wonder-strike. And Chelsea lost but were still flattered by the scoreline, Brighton ending the game with 26 shots to Chelsea’s eight and the dominant side in terms of possession.

What quickly became clear was this was not a day to be careless on the ball in defensive areas. Not with Mykhailo Mudryk looking sharp.

Not with Brighton closing down at times relentlessly and refusing to give Chelsea a second of peace.

The first warning from the visitors came in the third minute when Alexis Mac Allister poked Pervis Estupinan’s cross into the side-netting.

Then came one from the alert Mudryk, intercepting Adam Webster’s attempted pass out and crossing, forcing Lewis Dunk to divert the ball over his own bar for a corner.

Two displays of what became a recurring theme followed in quick succession when Moises Caicedo won the ball in midfield kick-starting Brighton moves.

Firstly, the outstanding Kaoru Mitoma got away from makeshift right-back Trevoh Chalobah but Alexis Mac Allister sidefooted wide before Brighton kept Chelsea pinned in from the resulting goalkick, Caicedo nipped in again and Evan Ferguson bent in a shot that hit the cross bar.

The opening goal, when it came, was subsequently against the run of play.

Mudryk was allowed to pick the ball up in his own half, run unchallenged deep into Brighton territory and slip in Conor Gallagher whose shot looped in after taking a deflection off the recalled Robert Sanchez.

It was Chelsea’s first goal for over a month so no wonder it was enjoyed, Lampard turning to the stand behind him and pumping his fists.

It turned out to be a rare first-half moment worth celebrating as they spent most of the rest of the half defending until Christian Pulisic headed against the post in injury time.

In between, it was all Brighton and a mystery how they only had one goal to show for their efforts.

They had a strong shout for a penalty after Pulisic handled Mac Allister’s ball over the top to Estupinan, the incident deemed not worthy of a pitch side review.

After the PGMOL apology they received during the week following last week’s defeat at Tottenham, it would not be a surprise if another one came their way. ‘The Premier League’s corrupt,’ Brighton fans sang.

Mitoma drew an outstanding save from Kepa after a fine solo run, poked a dangerous ball across goal, Mac Allister had Chelsea’s goalkeeper scrambling twice while he also produced a second stunning save to tip over Ferguson’s goalbound header.

Ferguson injured himself in the process – a concern ahead of Wembley - and eventually had to limp off.

His replacement Danny Welbeck was the scorer of Brighton’s deserved equaliser, climbing high to beat Chalobah and Wesley Fofana to Pascal Gross’s cross.

The origins of the goal were not a surprise given all that had gone before, a poor pass out from Benoit Badiashile intercepted by Brighton who worked the ball wide to score.

Chelsea, though, did not seem to learn their lesson. At the start of the second half Kepa was forced to make amends after a poor attempted clearance by saving from Brighton, seconds after he was forced into action by Julio Enciso, who replaced Joel Veltman who succumbed to injury after spending the first 28 minutes chasing Mudryk and getting booked.

Enciso and Solly March threatened again for Chelsea and Lampard had finally had enough of his team being dominated on their own patch.

He made a quadruple substitution just before the hour, including three players who are likely to be starters against Madrid who he might have hoped to give the afternoon off – Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and Joao Felix.

Their introductions initially made little difference. Enciso wriggled past James and fired against the post before Welbeck fired the rebound over.

It was eight minutes after the changes before Chelsea enjoyed anything like some sustained pressure in a danger area for Brighton, Sanchez producing a double save to deny James and Mudryk before Ben Chilwell headed wide.

Dunk’s desperate challenge on Kovacic after a mix-up with Caicedo was another suggestion the pendulum might have been swinging.

Then Brighton struck to kill that idea off. Again Chelsea were architects of their own downfall.

James’s pass was pounced on by Solly March who fed Enciso. Chelsea gave him too much time and space to assess his options and he picked a good one, firing the ball into Kepa’s top corner from 25 yards.

He deserved the adulation he got from the away end and also the Brighton bench, who gave him a standing ovation as he made his way back to his position for the restart.

Brighton were happy to hold what they had, allowing Chelsea to enjoy some possession.

But they were so disjointed and seemingly devoid of ideas that that was rarely translated into genuine chances.

Mudryk’s optimistic effort from long range summer that up and Chelsea’s attempts to get back in the game – it was high and harmless.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start

5' Yellow Card! Veltman booked

13' GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Brighton (Conor Gallagher)

26' Great save from Kepa!

33' What a save from Kepa!

42' GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Brighton (Welbeck)

45' Yellow Card! Conor Gallagher booked

47' Welbeck's shot too straight

51' Yellow Card! Trevoh Chalobah booked

59' OFF THE POST!

69' GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Brighton (Julio Enciso)

Line-ups

Chelsea XI: Sterling, Kepa, Trevoh Chalobah, Chilwell, Zakaria, Pulisic, Conor Gallagher, Benoît Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernández

Subs: Azpilicueta, Aubameyang, Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Ziyech, Marc Cucurella, Mount, Reece James, Felix

Brighton XI: Webster, Gross, Veltman, Dunk, March, Pervis Estupiñán, Robert Sánchez, Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma, Moisés Caicedo, Evan Ferguson

Subs: Welbeck, Deniz Undav, Tom McGill, Gilmour, Jan Paul van Hecke, Julio Enciso, Andy Moran, Odel Offiah, Facundo Buonanotte