Chelsea beat Brighton the hard way

Nkunku Madueke Gusto Cucurella Chelsea players
Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Chelsea beat Brighton 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, to mark four straight league wins.

Chelsea opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a goal from Cole Palmer, assisted by Marc Cucurella.

Chelsea dominated the first-half, but it ended 1-0 at half-time.

The Blues however doubled their lead in the 64th minute when Christopher Nkunku found the back of the net, with Malo Gusto providing the assist.

Chelsea were strolling to a somewhat easy victory until Reece James was given a red card in the 88th minute.

Brighton took advantage of their extra man advantage, and their continued pressure paid off in the dying moments of the game. Danny Welbeck scored in the 90+7th minute, assisted by Joao Pedro, to bring Brighton back into contention. However, it was too little, too late for the Seagulls​, as Chelsea held on resolutely.

Throughout the match, both teams displayed strong attacking intents, with Chelsea narrowly edging Brighton in ball possession (51% to 49%) and total attempts (13 to 12). Chelsea’s defence was also robust, managing to keep Brighton’s shots on target limited to just two, compared to their own six.

This victory solidified Chelsea’s position in the league, while Brighton continued to battle in the mid-table.

Chelsea have climbed up to sixth position, and are a win away from booking an Europa League spot.