Danny Welbeck set up a pair of Yankuba Minteh goals as clinical Brighton beat up Chelsea 3-0 at the Amex Stadium on Friday.
Kaoru Mitoma also scored for the Seagulls, a brilliant goal off a long ball from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, as the hosts counter attacked to near-perfection in the first half to collect a big win against a club which have bought many former Brighton stars. Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Co. watched as their team failed to register a single shot on target in the loss.
WATCH – Brighton v Chelsea full match replay
The Seagulls’ previous Premier League match was a humbling 7-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, and this result surely will help erase that dark memory for Fabian Hurzeler and his men.
Brighton ousted Chelsea from the FA Cup last weekend and collected three Premier League points in the same venue on Friday. The host Seagulls move into eighth place with 37 points, above Aston Villa on goal differential.
Chelsea remain fourth with 43 points and could be passed by as many as two teams by the conclusion of Matchday 25.
Chelsea have no answers for Brighton’s complete attacking trio
The pace and quickness of Kaoru Mitoma makes him a handful, while Yankuba Minteh’s power and drive are just as much of a headache and veteran, savvy forward Danny Welbeck showed smarts and brawn. Brighton waited for their time with the ball, rarely ceding space to Chelsea’s possession-hounding unit, and attacked with venom when the Blues allowed the ball to slip away from them. Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton barely kept 30% of the ball but accounted for more shot attempts than their visitors, following the same blueprint that led to their 2-1 win over the same opponents in the FA Cup fourth round. That’s a real shame for Enzo Maresca, as both teams are missing a number of players and Chelsea’s depth really should’ve won out. Hurzeler getting this sort of response — two wins over Chelsea — after conceding seven at Forest on Feb. 1 is a great sign for the young boss.
Brighton vs Chelsea player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Brighton vs Chelsea player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Brighton vs Chelsea player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Brighton go to Southampton at 10am ET Saturday, February 22, just before Chelsea visit Aston Villa at 12:30pm the same day.
How to watch Brighton vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Friday (February 14)
Venue: Amex Stadium — Falmer
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Brighton vs Chelsea final score: 3-0
Kaoru Mitoma 27', Yankuba Minteh 38', 63'
Brighton vs Chelsea live updates — By Nick Mendola
Full time — Brighton 3-0 Chelsea
Wow. Not a single shot on target from Chelsea despite a heaping helping of possession.
Enzo Maresca’s reaction will be worth the read when it comes from the Amex Stadium.
Yankuba Minteh goal — Brighton 3-0 Chelsea (63rd minute)
Danny Welbeck puts off Levi Colwill and causes a harried pass that Brighton intercepts and takes toward goal.
Welbeck works a 1-2 with Yankuba Minteh, who has plenty to do in creating space to complete his brace.
Halftime — Brighton 2-0 Chelsea
Despite the 2-0 score line, this game has a whopping 0.43-0.41 xG margin in favor of the hosts.
Chelsea have dominated possession but are not getting the ball to dangerous positions despite the best efforts of Christopher Nkunku.
That might be part of the problem. Nkunku is playing center forward in place of the injured Nicolas Jackson but has rung up the game’s most passes into the final third (6). Might want to turn him into a target, or find someone else to put up top (Marc Guiu is also injured).
Yankuba Minteh goal — Brighton 2-0 Chelsea (38th minute)
Danny Welbeck starts a move off a Chelsea giveaway, then cleans up a loose ball with a short pass to Yankuba Minteh.
The Gambian touches around a defender and belts home from eight yards.
Chelsea goal ruled out
Enzo Fernandez heads a cross home in the 35th minute. but he was able to do it by virtue of the two hands he shoved into the back of Joel Veltman.
Kaoru Mitoma goal! Brighton 1-0 Chelsea (27th minute)
The Japanese international scores against Chelsea at the Amex for the second-straight week after bagging a goal in the FA Cup last week.
Mitoma takes a long ball from Bart Verbruggen with a near-perfect touch, then dances around Trevoh Chalobah and swerves a shot around Filip Jorgensen.
Noni Madueke injury
It looks like a hamstring for the English right wing, who is limping off in the 21st minute and will be replaced by Jadon Sancho.
0-0.
Chelsea on the front foot
The Blues have had 3/4 of the ball in the first quarter-hour, but it’s Brighton who has a corner in the 14th minute.
Tariq Lamptey plays it short, working a 1-2 with Kaoru Mitoma that lead to another corner.
This one is headed into the pack by Danny Welbeck but cleared by Chelsea.
0-0, 15'.
Brighton team news
Verbruggen, Lamptey, Webster, Van Hecke, Veltman, Baleba, Rutter, Minteh, Mitoma, Hinshelwood, Welbeck
Chelsea team news
Jorgensen, Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Nkunku
Brighton vs Chelsea preview — By Joe Prince-Wright
Fabian Hurzeler’s side won 2-1 to advance to the last 16 and that was a much-needed victory after their 7-0 mauling at Nottingham Forest in their last Premier League game. The Seagulls have struggled for wins in the league with just two in their last 12 games but as they proved in the cup, they have so much quality going forward and the likes of Mitoma, Rutter, Welbeck, Joao Pedro and Minteh are a real handful.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was annoyed with some of the officiating in their defeat at Brighton at the weekend but overall he knows his side are ahead of where most expected them to be this season. After their comeback win against West Ham last week the Blues are in the top four of the Premier League heading into this game and despite defensive injuries and mistakes hampering them, they have so much quality in attack that more often than not they’ll get the job done. Chelsea’s former Brighton trio of Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella got a less than warm welcome at the Amex for the FA Cup game and there’s certainly a bit of animosity from the home fans as Chelsea have picked off Brighton’s star players, manager and executives in recent years.
Brighton team news, focus
OUT: Igor Julio (hamstring), Jason Steele (shoulder), James Milner (thigh), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Solly March (fitness)| QUESTIONABLE: Pervis Estupinan (undisclosed), Mats Wieffer (knock), Lewis Dunk (lower back)
Chelsea team news, focus
OUT: Marc Guiu (groin), Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Benoit Badiashile (thigh), Omari Kellyman (thigh), Romeo Lavia (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Nicolas Jackson (thigh)
Brighton vs Chelsea prediction
This feels like it will be another tight game but Chelsea’s extra quality in midfield and attack will just about get the job done. Brighton 1-2 Chelsea.
