Post Match report for the Chelsea - ARCHIVE 20/21 game - Monday, 14th September 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE: Brighton v Chelsea - 14/9/20, P1.


ALBION CHASE AROUND BUT CANNOT CHANGE THEIR FATE

RESULT: 1-3 ~ Trossard . (h-t 0-1) . SHAPE: 3-4-3


VENUE: the Amex, Falmer - first home match and opening fixture.
BUILD UP: Albion were now a selling club, having gotten Adam Lallana & Joel Veltman in for less than seven figures and unloaded Knockaert, Kayal, Schelotto, Mooy & Button for around 11m. Duffy & Murray had also gone out on seasons loans.
Our tenth season here began in mid September during ongoing pandemic precautions and therefore, despite a previous successful test event with very limited fan numbers attending, this game was played behind closed doors once more.
WEATHER: fine & mild evening.

GRAHAM POTTER had come through his inaugural Prem campaign recording similar stats to Chris Hughton from those initial two terms. Personnel and development of the current small squad was now becoming a result of his own mantra for progress, driven by desire of Tony Bloom to move BHA permanently into midtable or better.
Highly regarded youngster Ben White and vastly experienced Lallana made debuts.

TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ryan
. . . . . . . . 3 White, 5 Dunk, 4 Webster
. 2 Lamptey, 8 Bissouma, 17 Alzate, 20 March
. . . . 14 Lallana, 9 Maupay, 11 Trossard

BENCH: 23 Steele, 34 Veltman, 33 Burn, 6 Stephens,
13 Gross (79), 16 Jahanbakhsh (79), 7 Connolly (45).


GOALS: 0-1 - 23. Mistakes in rearguard allow visitors a one on one with Ryan. He could not prevent the spot kick registering this opener.
1-1 - 54. Good forward play to edge of the area saw an interchange until TROSSARD unleashed a drive that the keeper fluffed.
1-2 - 56. A worldy restores travellers lead with immediate effect.
1-3 - 66. More calamities at the back from a corner routine and so game, set and match to big spenders.


INCIDENTS: 22 - Ryan brings down an attacker and Ref is left in no doubt as to his decision.

YELLOWS: Lamptey, following a determined display.

SUBS: 45 - injured Lallana is replaced immediately by Connolly. 79 - injured White & Alzate off, Jahanbakhsh & Gross on.


SYNOPSIS: although Seagulls began brightly they fell behind from a penalty and akin to many contests last term, hosts were soon chasing the game. Much huffing & puffing then prevailed, chances came and went but by the interval blue shirts had not broken their duck. Lallana lived up to injury prone status and it was uphill all the way for the first forty-five minutes.
A quick second period equaliser was rubbed out soon enough and status quo resumed. The third away score marked the degree of difference in big and little outfits.
Some weak performances going forward have still left Albion looking like small fish in a pond that forever seems too large for their true levels of ability shown on the surface.


NUMBERS: poss 52%-48%, on target 3-5, off target 10-5, corners 4-3, fouls 8-13, yellows 1-0, subs 3-3.

FS


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