Chelsea 0-0 Brighton: Albion hold European Super League giants
What a mad evening in the world of football. Whilst the European Super League was crumbling before our eyes, players were openly rebelling against their paymasters and highly paid executives were paying for the failed coup with their jobs, Chelsea 0-0 Brighton felt like a sideshow to the circus going on elsewhere.
How many people watching from home were doing so with only one eye on the television, the other refreshing Twitter to see whether Liverpool player power had forced Fenway Sports Group to pull the Reds out or whether anyone else would be joining Ed Woodward in the dole queue?
The good news for those who were more interested in the European Super League circus is that you did not miss much by having your attention diverted from the action in West London.
Chelsea 0-0 Brighton was by no means in classic. Actually, it was bloody boring, by-and-large. What it lacked in entertainment however it made up for in poignancy, adding further proof of what nonsense the idea of a closed-shop 12-team competition for the continent’s ‘elite’ clubs is.
Most people think that money was the main driver for Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs to want to break away from English football. And whilst the rumoured £3.5 billion they would pick up is pretty cool, it is only part of the reason.
Stifling competition was equally as important as cold, hard cash. These clubs owned by sheiks and oligarchs splash out millions upon millions of pounds every year on players, and yet they consistently find themselves being outperformed by clubs with a fraction of the spending power.
Leicester City and West Ham United could qualify for the Champions League this season ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal. Rather than face up to the embarrassment and try and find a way to compete with these so-called lesser clubs, the big six would rather set up their own European league, shutting the door on anyone else from entering to guarantee their own inclusion.
Having a European Super League featuring the same 12 clubs every year would lessen the damage done when Chelsea can only draw 0-0 against Brighton, despite the fact that Roman Abramovich’s roubles funded £220 million of player purchases in the summer. Brighton meanwhile spent £900,000.
If the Blues are guaranteed a seat at the top table every year no matter what their Premier League performance, then it does not matter that they draw a blank against an Albion back five and goalkeeper which cost only £22.4 million to put together – and £16 million of that went on one player.
Seriously, how can Chelsea consider themselves elite when they are drawing 0-0 with Brighton? How can Liverpool and Spurs consider themselves elite when they are losing 1-0 to Brighton? The answer is they can’t.
These clubs are nowhere near as good or important as they think they are. Nothing sums that up better than the fact that the Albion have taken seven points from a possible 12 in their past four matches with the big six. Presumably, Tony Bloom’s invite to the European Super League must have been lost in the post. Bloody Royal Mail.
Most of the noteworthy action from Stamford Bridge took place in the streets around the ground before the game. Chelsea fans had turned out in their numbers to protest against their club’s decision to sign up for the European Super League and a peaceful sit in meant that neither team coach could reach the stadium, resulting in kick off being delayed by 15 minutes.
It took the appearance of Chelsea legend and current technical director Petr Cech in the carpark to clear the streets so that both buses could fight their way through. Cech told the gathered masses: “Let me sort this out. Let the bus go in. Give people time.”
Cech was labelled a traitor in response, a remarkable label for supporters to use for a bloke who won four Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a Champions League in his playing days for the Blues.
Nobody could be any doubt about the strength of feeling against the European Super League with language like that being thrown at a man normally held in such high regard.
Brighton for their part did not hold back on their feelings either. Graham Potter spoke brilliantly before the game, the uncontroversial and somewhat dull persona he normally cloaks himself in during interviews was momentarily removed and we got some brutal honesty from the Albion boss.
“To create a situation where you have got a closed shop, a cartel if you like, an oligopoly, an organisation where they are putting profit ahead of the consumer or the football supporter. That’s the sad thing.”
“They mistake the fan for the consumer and if you do that then we are in real, real trouble.” There was a certain irony in Potter’s words if you are old enough to remember when Paul Barber caused such a furore by referring to fans as customers when he first arrived at the Amex in 2013.
Following in the footsteps of The Leeds United from their game 24 hours earlier against Liverpool, Brighton’s players wore t-shirts during their warmup with messages reading “Champions League earn it” on the front, and “Football is for the fans” on the back – presumably, there was not time to get “Except for those who take flasks to games” added underneath before kick off.
To the action and Brighton were the own worst enemy in the opening stages. Adam Webster made his first start since the beginning of February and gave the ball away in dangerous positions on a couple of occasions as he looked like a player very much suffering from ring rust. Thankfully, Chelsea were unable to capitalise in a first half in which nothing of note happened.
The second half was not much better and it took the introduction of rested duo Adam Lallana and Neal Maupay from the bench to spark Brighton into life.
Maupay has had his fair share of critics this season, thanks mainly due to his woeful finishing. It has become apparent in the second half of the season that he is much better suited to playing as a second striker, using his intelligence and his link up play to bring others in.
Kepa Arrizabalaga had been so unemployed for the first hour of the game that he could have popped outside to join the protests and nobody would have noticed.
Martin Tyler meanwhile was so bored that he busted out a ridiculous line about the Albion defence being harder to get through than the traffic Brighton, spoken like a man who has picked up a ticket for veering into the bus lane on Lewes Road an inch before it officially begins.
Once Maupay was on, harrying opponents and doing his best to force opportunities, Brighton were suddenly the better side and they might even have won it through a flurry of chances in the space of three minutes late in the game.
Maupay dispossessed the casual Kurt Zouma to tee up Lallana but the former Liverpool midfielder chose a bad moment to be off target with a relatively simple opportunity, looking every bit like a Brighton player for once instead of somebody who is far too good for the Albion.
Lallana was the dispossessor next, robbing Jorginho to find Danny Welbeck whose bending effort from 20 yards out beat Kepa but not the post, cannoning off the upright.
Seconds later and the rebound worked its way to Lallana who saw his well struck effort held impressively on the stretch by the Chelsea goalkeeper.
Good chances coming and going, this was more like the Brighton & Hove Albion we know and love. Which meant only one thing… a home goal to crush the xGulls must have been incoming.
Olivier Giroud went close in the final seconds of normal time. In injury time, Callum Hudson-Odoi looked like he might have been about to gallop clear, only for Ben White to produce a tactical foul to halt him just inside the Albion half.
White had already been booked and so Stuart Attwell had little choice but to send him off. As far as red cards go, it was one of the most sensible you will ever see and the definition of taking one for the team with only seconds remaining.
Sacrificing himself in such a way means that White will miss Saturday’s trip to Sheffield United. Judging by Potter’s team selection, he already had one eye on the game at Bramall Lane.
To draw 0-0 at Chelsea becomes an even more impressive result when you consider Brighton rested Maupay, Lallana and Jakub Moder and remain without the injured Solly March and Tariq Lamptey.
Imagine what a full strength Brighton side might have done against Chelsea? A first ever point at Stamford Bridge could easily have become a first ever victory, pouring even more scorn on the idea that the hosts should be competing in their own ‘elite’ competition.
Fan power now appears to have won the day and the European Super League is over in less time than my Easter hangover lasted for. Brighton can look forward to further opportunities to embarrass the big six who, for all their money and self-proclaimed superiority, really are not that special.
After all, if they cannot beat teams like Brighton…
