Match Review: Brighton 1-2 Chelsea
Brighton and Hove Albion’s progress as a Premier League side over the course of 2018 was there for everyone to see on Sunday.
Back in January, Antonio Conte brought his Chelsea side to the Amex. The Blues weren’t playing particularly well at the time, with the seeds already planted for what would end up being a pretty acrimonious departure in the summer.
Despite those tribulations, we all watched in awe as the visitors tore the Albion apart, winning 4-0 through an irresistible display from Eden Hazard. Brighton couldn’t lay a glove on Chelsea and there wasn’t so much a gulf in class as a distance greater than that between the Sun and Saturn.
Fast forward 11 months and a new, improved version of Chelsea made the trip to the South Coast. Maurizio Sarri’s side are in title contention this time around and had just knocked off reigning champions Manchester City with the same starting line up that took to the field at the Amex.
Yet this time around, Chelsea could be considered fortuitous to head back to Stamford Bridge with all three points. They were hanging on at the end as shown by the fact that their goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was booked for time wasting and Marcos Alonso had to resort to a cynical, last man pull back on Solly March to prevent the winger having a clear run at goal. How Alonso escaped a red for that was beyond belief. That bloke could get away with murder.
From being destroyed by Chelsea to them having to rely on dirty tricks and foul play to hang onto a 2-1 win inside of a year. That’s progress.
Had the Albion not been so abysmal in possession in the first half, then we might be hailing even greater progress. Nine days before Christmas and Chelsea were gift wrapped two goals inside the first 30 minutes.
Hazard set up the first with a piece of brilliance, reacting quickest to pick up a loose ball in the box, dancing past Martin Montoya as if the Spanish right back’s feet had been concreted into the ground and then squaring across goal for Pedro to tap in.
The second came when Leon Balogun gave the ball away to Willian in Chelsea’s half and one defence splitting pass later and Hazard was accelerating through the Albion defence to beat Maty Ryan with ease.
Balogun wasn’t the only culprit when it came to squandering possession. Dale Stephens did nothing to justify his immediate recall at the expense of Yves Bissouma by having a pass completion percentage that was less than my chances of marrying Jennifer Lawrence.
None of Montoya, Lewis Dunk or Anthony Knockaert was great with the ball either as the Albion once again failed to cope with a side who aggressively press, Chelsea’s style of Sarriball play contributing as much to a woeful first half display as Brighton’s penchant for passing to a yellow shirt did.
Glenn Murray didn’t manage a single touch or shot in the Chelsea box in his hour on the pitch and it was only when Florin Andone entered the action on the hour mark that the Albion came into the game.
Within six minutes of Andone’s introduction, Brighton pulled one back by scoring only their second ever league goal against Chelsea in seven attempts.
March was the man to net it, volleying home after a clever header back across goal from a Pascal Gross cross. That made it game on and Brighton came within that last man wrestling move from Alonso and a Dunk header that flashed inches wide of possibly grabbing an equaliser.
There was a fair bit of ire directed towards Chris Hughton for his tactics in the bars afterwards and while the decision to drop Bissouma looked a poor one, it is hard to argue with the way Hughton set up tactically.
A lot of supporters were using the performance of the last 30 minutes to advocate that we should have started the game with such attacking intent, but that ignores the fact that Chelsea’s foot was off the pedal by that point and their pressing game far less intense.
Taking the game to an opponent who thinks they’ve already won in minute 60 is a lot different to taking the game to an opponent with the quality of Hazard and Co from the first minute.
Proponents of such an approach want two strikers and wingers pushed higher up. For Chelsea’s two goals, Hazard had eight or nine blue and white shirts between him and goal. Take away three of those by having them further up the pitch, and he’s got even more space to work in which would be devastating.
A more positive approach can work against some top six sides, Arsenal and Manchester United for example who don’t have one world class creator in chief. Against Hazard and Chelsea or Manchester City and Kevin De Bruryne, by giving them more space you’re giving them a better chance to work their magic. That’s all they need to punish you.
The real problem wasn’t Hughton’s tactics but that the Albion players decided to give their worst performance in possession of the season. If we’d kept the ball better, containing for the first half and then getting on the front foot in the second then we might have got a result.
A result against Chelsea. The fact we’ve even devoted 907 words to the subject tells you how far we’ve come. Progress, indeed.
