Post-match report for our last game: Chelsea, Sunday, 3rd December 2023

PREMIER LEAGUE 23/24: Chelsea V Brighton - 3/12/23 P14


* * * * * NOT CONTINUOUS FOOTBALL IN THIS LONG GAME * * * * *

RESULT: 3-2 ~ Buonanotte, Pedro . (h-t 2-1)


VENUE: Stamford Bridge, London SW - seventh away match of 14 fixtures to date . Sun 2:00pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: believe it or otherwise this was our first Prem game in the capital following a series of trips up north and so began a short string of metropolitan meetings during last month of the calendar year and just into January.
We had been here in September for the EFL Cup R3 tie that ended in defeat, when failing to score to boot.
Albion on the road had done ok, although took a severe thrashing in outskirts of Birmingham a couple of months ago.
WEATHER: rain . GATE: tba . KIT: green & black . ATMOSPHERE: not too much to cheer.

ROBERTO de ZERBI understood big-city mentality although he was a man well fitted for all localities & occasions.
RdZ took stock of where we were, who we are, how many were available and what he could orchestrate.

INJURED: 2 Lamptey 4 Webster 7 March 10 Enciso 18 Welbeck 30 Estupinan 31 Fati
SQUAD: 38 McGill (gk) 43 Samuels . BAN: 5 Dunk 8 Dahoud
STARTING SHAPE: 4-2-3-1


TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Steele
. 34 Veltman 29 van Hecke 3 Julio 41 Hinshelwood
. 40 Buonanotte 20 Baleba 11 Gilmour 24 Adingra
. . . . . . . 14 Lallana . . . . . 28 Ferguson.

SUBS: 13 Gross (57), 9 Pedro (57), 6 Milner (57) 22 Mitoma (57), 47 Baker-Boaitey (84)
BENCH: 1 Verbruggen (gk) 15 Moder 52 Kavanagh 55 OMahony


GOALS:
1-0 - 17 . locals net with a header following a set piece routine and very quick VAR check for possible off-side.
2-0 - 21 . locals net a rapid second after a similar build up with cross to allow a header. Ref checks ball crossed line.
2-1 - 43 . BUONANOTTE reduces the deficit when converting a pass by Lallana after a fluid move up field.
3-1 - 65 . a VAR review sends Ref to the monitor from when Steele & Milner attempted to prevent a live chance.
3-2 - 92 . PEDRO heads a late consolation from a Milner cross at a corner.


YELLOWS: 45+ Hinshelwood 58 Julio 64 Gross & Milner 90+ Pedro . RED: 45 hosts

INCIDENTS: 10 Steele takes, 19 hosts try, 38 Adingra dig, 39 hosts pop, 44 Steele saves, 45 Chelsea red card, 45+ Ferguson drive,
49 Baleba try, 56 Lallana effort, 60 Milner try, 71 Gilmour try, 80 Adingra effort, 81 Mitoma try, 85 Gross pop, 86 Gross try, 91 Gross try, 91 Pedro header, 95 hosts pot shot, 98 Ferguson dig, 99 Pedro try, 101 VAR review - no BHA pen.

CHANGES: 57 Gross, Pedro, Milner, Mitoma for Baleba, Lallana, Hinshelwood, Buonanotte
84 Baker-Boaitey for Julio


FIRST HALF: another clean sheet went west when hosts opened scoring after most of previous possession was from visitors.
Conceding a second score inside half an hour doubled travellers challenge to obtain a point.
Seagulls eventually responded before the break just prior to hosts red card that offered numerical advantage.
SECOND HALF: around the hour mark Albion made a quadruple change.
Moments later hosts were awarded a spot kick.

IN THE END: Brighton started to play in closing minutes.
But the real story of the game was that lacklustre first half.

NUMBERS: poss 32%-68%, on target 5-9, off target 3-9, corners 5-8,
fouls 16-12, yellows 3-5, red 1-0, subs 3-5, shape 4231-4231 . . . . . gd4 pt22 po8

FS


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