Chelsea dropped crucial points as they failed to beat the Seagulls on home soil.
Brighton held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw in their Premier League game on Wednesday. The Blues took over Liverpool in the second spot but slipped eight points behind leaders Manchester City.
A last-minute equalizer!
Chelsea quickly established their dominance at the beginning of the game. Following two decent chances by Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta, the Blues finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute.
Mount’s precise corner found Romelu Lukaku at the near post. The Belgian striker found the back of the net with a header as soon as he received the ball. The guests believed the Blues had committed a foul on Neal Mupay before Lukaku’s header. However, upon reviewing by VAR, the referee allowed the goal to stand.
After their disappointing display in the first half, Brighton suddenly came to life in the second period. The Seagulls made several chances throughout the second half but could not get past the Blues’ backline. It seemed that Chelsea had the three points in their bag. However, Danny Welbeck came off the bench to snatch a late equalizer for the guests.
Following a brilliant cross from Marc Cucurella, the 31-year-old headed the ball past Edouard Mendy to make it 1-1. After the goal, Chelsea pushed to clinch the match-winner, but they did not have enough time to do so.
The draw puts Chelsea above Liverpool on the league table. However, they are now eight points behind Manchester City at the top of the table. The Blues will face Liverpool in a crucial Premier League game on Sunday.
On the other hand, Brighton climbed past Crystal Palace to get to tenth place on the table. Next up for the Seagulls is a league game against Everton.
Player Ratings
Chelsea: Mendy (7); Azpilicueta (7), Christensen (7), Rudiger (6); James (6), Kovacic (6), Jorginho (7), Hudson-Odoi (6); Mount (7), Pulisic (6); Lukaku (7).
Bench: Chalobah (7), Alonso (6), Kante (6).
Brighton: Sanchez (7); Lamptey (6), Veltman (7), Burn (6), Cucurella (7); Bissouma (8), Lallana (6); March (6), Moder (6), Mac Allister (7); Maupay (6).
Bench: Welbeck (7), Mwepu (6), Alzate (6).
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