5 Chelsea players who underperformed against Brighton & Hove Albion | Premier League 2021-22
Having snatched an impressive 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, Chelsea were full of confidence going into their final game of the year against Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, Danny Welbeck’s injury-time header held the Blues to a 1-1 draw, landing another blow to their title aspirations. Chelsea are now eight points behind runaway leaders Manchester City, with Liverpool close on their heels.
Both Chelsea and Brighton were eager to end the year on a high and looked menacing in the early stages. Chelsea ace Romelu Lukaku was the clear standout performer for the hosts on Wednesday night and broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. Just like last weekend, Lukaku dispatched a thumping header to leave the opposition keeper for dead.
Brighton, however, refused to roll over as they came back hard at Chelsea. Alexis Mac Allister and Adam Lallana caused the Blues all sorts of problems. Unfortunately for the traveling fans, the finishing touch was missing.
The second half saw Brighton dominate proceedings. They made Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy work hard and looked certain to get something out of the game. The goal finally came through former Arsenal man Danny Welbeck, who rose the highest to meet Marc Cucurella’s brilliant cross. The game ended 1-1, allowing Manchester City to pull further ahead in the Premier League title race.
Here are the five Chelsea players who were responsible for their team’s disappointing outing at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night:
#5 Mateo Kovacic
Starting his first Premier League game since late October, Mateo Kovacic had a sub-par outing against Brighton on Wednesday night. The former Real Madrid man often held the ball for far too long and drew unnecessary pressure.
Sometimes he was able to beat the press with intelligent passes, but in other instances, he simply gave the ball away far too easily.
An overplayed Jorginho and undercooked Kovacic are struggling against Brighton in midfield so far. Understandable, but a concern for #CFC. #CHEBHA
Kovacic was rarely explosive in the final-third as well and looked rusty at times.
#4 Marcos Alonso
Chelsea wing-back Reece James went down with a hamstring problem in the 26th minute, forcing Thomas Tuchel to introduce Marcos Alonso.
The Spaniard played a more defensive role against a hungry Brighton side, struggling to stamp his authority.
Marcos Alonso??? more like… Marcos Alonslow
chelsea fans, how does it feel to see this guy lineup for you 🤡🗑 https://t.co/GBqTspbwh4
He only completed 17 passes over the course of the match and lost possession eight times. Alonso also did not register even a single shot, key pass or cross.
A shockingly poor night by the Chelsea stalwart.