Enzo Fernandez finally off the mark as 10-man Chelsea overcome Brighton
Hoping to recover from his joint-heaviest PL defeat last time out, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side hosted Brighton - another club that had won by a three-goal margin against the Argentine boss.
However, any fears of a repeat were quickly put to bed thanks to a quickfire double for the Blues.
First, Benoît Badiashile kept a corner alive, hooking back to Enzo Fernández, who pounced to score his first PL goal.
Just four minutes later another corner kick was knocked back across goal from the far post, this time by Nicolas Jackson, who put the ball on a plate for former Brighton loanee Levi Colwill to head in his first Chelsea goal.
Things were looking rather comfortable for the Blues as HT approached, but once again, the complexion of the contest drastically changed in a matter of minutes.
Some casual defending allowed Facundo Buonanotte sufficient space to cut inside and curl into the far corner before Jason Steele’s quick reflexes denied Jackson an instant response.
Ahead of this round of fixtures, no PL side had averaged more yellow cards than Chelsea (3.38), a statistic perfectly highlighted by the two rash challenges that saw captain Conor Gallagher dismissed.
Making yet another successive start for the Seagulls, Adam Lallana tried an audacious shot on the swivel that served as a warning to the hosts.
That scare seemed to spark Chelsea into life, and after VAR adjudged James Milner to have illegally brought down Mykhailo Mudryk when through on goal, Fernández stepped up to the spot to restore his side’s two-goal advantage.
Substitute João Pedro bagged a fourth goal in three appearances with a header from a corner, but a full Brighton recovery never materialised as Chelsea survived a very late VAR scare.
Pochettino’s side ultimately saw out just a second league win in six matches (D2, L2), moving them into the PL’s top half.
Three points ahead in eighth place, Brighton will be disappointed not to claim at least a point against the 10-man Londoners.
The Seagulls end a run of three PL H2Hs without defeat, continuing an intriguing run of both sides scoring in each of their last nine league away trips (W3, D1, L5).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
