Chelsea vs. Brighton result: Lukaku goal not enough as Welbeck pegs back Blues in draw

Despite the emphatic return of Romelu Lukaku to the starting lineup, Chelsea lost further ground to Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer in a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Brighton Hove & Albion.

Lukaku scored to put Chelsea in front, but the Blues were matched toe-to-toe by the visitors up and down the pitch. Eventually, substitute Danny Welbeck headed Brighton level in the 91st minute and the Seagulls earned a deserved share of the points.

Chelsea looked tired, a result of all the injuries that have plagued this Blues squad. It made matters worse when they lost Andreas Christensen and Reece James to injuries during the course of the 90 minutes, and by full-time, the exhaustion showed.

The midfield pairing of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic especially highlighted the multitude of problems facing the Blues, as the former looked to be on tired legs, while the latter has only just returned from a long injury layoff and appeared to tire early as the game dragged on.

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Brighton, spry throughout the match, performed admirably as the Seagulls sat back at the appropriate times, absorbing Chelsea pressure, while also commanding several quality spells of attacking possession. They were somewhat sloppy on the counter, but in the final third Brighton continued to trouble Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy until the late equalizer provided a deserved reward for the hard work.

It’s a familiar story for Brighton, who picked up its fourth equalizer of the league season in the 89th minute or later. It was the team’s league-leading ninth draw, bumping up to 10th place in the standings.

Chelsea vs. Brighton final score

Goals:
28th minute: Chelsea – Romelu Lukaku
91st minute: Brighton – Danny Welbeck

(All times Eastern)

Final:  Chelsea 1, Brighton 1

What a finish, that was fun. Chelsea players are absolutely exhausted…Kovacic chief among them sat on the pitch wondering what happened. Brighton was fantastic throughout, and deserved the point, although it eventually came against the run of play down the stretch as Chelsea began to convince they would see it out.

Liverpool and Chelsea both pegged back by lesser sides in the last two days, and Manchester City are the big festive fixture winners. City winning themselves at home against Brentford, and could extend the lead to a whopping eight points as we head to the new year.

91st minute:  GOAL! Brighton! SCENES AT STAMFORD BRIDGE! Brighton is level! It’s the substitute Danny Welbeck, only on 10 minutes prior. A brilliant bit of ball movement at the top of the box from Brighton, and Welbeck rises high to meet a looped delivery into the box, putting it side-netting where Mendy has no chance. What a moment! Chelsea pegged back.

86th minute:  For all Brighton’s chances throughout this match, it seems the Seagulls will have to just survive through the final stages of this match. Chelsea is building chances that Brighton’s defense is snuffing out at the last moment. Lukaku denied twice in the last few minutes.

81st minute:  Yellow cards to Mason Mount and Yves Bissouma for an off-ball scuffle on the near touchline well away from the action. Replay shows they continued a 50/50 challenge after the ball had left their feet, and Bissouma was the aggressor, but no further action from VAR. It did look like there might have been more to it on Bissouma’s part, but the camera angle was wide and it’s hard to see for sure. An odd one, that.

79th minute:  Now both teams looking tired. It’s getting sloppy in midfield. Mason Mount unleashes his left foot on a bobbling ball at the top of the box, but the shot is blocked for a corner. Corner comes to nothing but possession stays with the Blues.

Christian Pulisic had a spell of involvement after halftime but has gone quiet again.

74th minute:  A shot for Chelsea! Chalobah heads one right at Sanchez in goal. As stated below, its first since before the half-hour mark. Can they find another to put the game away? Brighton appears to be tiring slightly and Chelsea is building pressure.

73rd minute:  Veltman saves the day, clearing a Chelsea free-kick off the line in front of Marcos Alonso. Cucurella then slides in at the goal mouth to clear before Mount can reach a Kante cross. Stats are fun.

66th minute:  Brighton with a substittion as Enock Mwepu coming on for Lamptey, seeing Moder move back to right wing-back and Mwepu taking the midfield slot.

Chelsea replies with a substitution of its own, the last one available to Thomas Tuchel. Ngolo Kante comes on for Hudson-Odoi, taking a more advanced #8 role up next to Mason Mount with Jorginho and Kovacic behind him. Pulisic charges forward and wins a free-kick in midfield, which temporarily relieves pressure.

60th minute:  Brighton knocking on the door as we reach the hour mark, with lots of chances. Mendy comes well out of his net to snuff a chance, which requires Antonio Rudiger to make a huge block on a shot with the goalkeeper retreating back to his position. Chelsea survives again.

There’s another goal in this – which I’m sure has just jinxed us all.

57th minute:  Chelsea very nearly made to pay immediately for the missed chance, but Neil Maupay fires a low cutting effort that beats Mendy but  JUST  beats the far post. Inches wide.

Mateo Kovacic booked for a nasty challenge in midfield. Easy decision for Mike Dean.

56th minute:  Oh my. It should be 2-0 but Hudson-Odoi botched it. One a two-on-one breakaway, Hudson-Odoi went for the pass rather than the wide-open shot, and his squared layoff to Mount is cut-out. Massive missed opportunity. Shoot it yourself!

52nd minute:  Game beginning to stretch. Good spell of attacking pressure for Brighton with a free-kick included, but nothing comes of it. Callum Hudson-Odoi springs a counter, but Pulisic is beaten by Marc Cucurella. Back down the other end, Bissouma strikes a straight-on volley that forces another Mendy save. Brighton troubling the Chelsea attacking third enough that the Blues’ Twitter account gives it a nod.

49th minute:  Christian Pulisic’s first attacking involvement of the match sees him go down in the box, and there’s no call from Mike Dean initially. Replay does show some contact, but the VAR check is complete with no further action, as it doesn’t appear the contact was enough to send Pulisic to the turf.

46th minute:  We’re under way in the second half, and as we thought may happen, Andreas Christensen’s been replaced by Chalobah in central defense, with the Danish international picking up an injury earlier in the first half. Chelsea loses another player to injury, which makes two in this game and four over the last two games. It’s concerning for the Blues.

In the opening seconds, Moder nearly flicks one over the head of Mendy to bring Brighton level, but it just beats the crossbar as well.

HALFTIME: Chelsea 1-0 Brighton Hove & Albion

Romelu Lukaku’s goal has Chelsea ahead somewhat comfortably, but the hosts have plenty to discuss at halftime. Antonio Rudiger has been the best Chelsea player thus far, but his daft yellow card will trouble Thomas Tuchel. The injuries are also mounting for the Blues, and it bears watching how Andreas Christensen progresses into the second half – if he’s even allowed to continue. Trevoh Chalobah was quality against Aston Villa before being sacrificed as part of a tactics switch by Tuchel, and he could be an option.

Brighton will be relatively happy with the first half overall, troubling the Chelsea goal on occasion and defending well. The midfield has been up to the task, matching Jorginho and Kovacic and building into the game as the half progressed. Still, the Seagulls trail due to a momentary switch-off after an injury break for Reece James, and it’ll be on Graham Potter to brew up a comeback at a ground the club has never scored.

As former Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie points out, having Romelu Lukaku can mask a lot of other problems.

45th minute:  Into four added minutes of first-half stoppage time, the Blues are looking to shield the 1-0 lead into the break, and Brighton has made a push for a late equalizer. Mendy saves from another long-distance MacAllister shot, and then Chelsea snuffs out another half-chance.

40th minute:  Rudiger now into the book for a heavy challenge of Lamptey on the touchline. He’s appealing the decision hard – he did get the ball – but it was a full-throated two-footed lunge. Clear caution. Free-kick earns Brighton a corner.

Since praising him early in here, Kovacic has slowed, and Jorginho has never really been a factor in this first-half. Chelsea midfield struggling. Brighton hasn’t been able to capitalize – at least, not yet.

38th minute:  Wild spell of play in the Chelsea penalty area with bodies falling all over. Yves Bissouma goes to ground in the middle of a one-two, while Jorginho goes down easily as well in the defensive effort. In the end, there’s no call either way, and Edouard Mendy is forced into a parried save to stop an Adam Lallana shot. Nothing comes of two Brighton corners.

35th minute:  Antonio Rudiger, who may be off to Real Madrid at the end of the season, has been massive for Chelsea so far. The German throws himself in the line of an Alexis MacAllister shot and Brighton is still without a goal at Stamford Bridge.

Notable to mention as well that Pulisic has moved to left-wing-back since the Reece James injury, while substitute Marcos Alonso slots in on the right.

28th minute:  GOAL! Chelsea! Romelu Lukaku is back in full force. The injury pause seems to have lulled Brighton to sleep, and with a corner swung in, Lukaku at the near post beats Neil Maupay and redirects a header across the face of goal, tucked inside the far post. Maupay is down and VAR is checking for a possible foul, but the check concludes with no change. Chelsea is in front and in charge at Stamford Bridge.

25th minute:  Sanchez forced into another save. Romelu Lukaku is free down the right, and instead of cutting onto his left and having a go, he feeds Mount at an even tighter angle and his shot is no trouble for the Brighton keeper.

Now Reece James is down, and it’s not looking good there either. The Chelsea youngster has his arm over his eyes while receiving treatment. This time, a substitution will be necessary, and James comes off for Marcos Alonso. James is limping off and looks to be favoring his knee. He gets a nice check-in from his former youth teammate Lamptey. It may have been Lamptey who caused the injury.

21st minute:  Callum Hudson-Odoi fires a cross into…er…over the penalty area. He’s been real poor so far, you have to wonder if Pulisic would do better in that role. If you’re just tuning in, you haven’t missed much.

Andreas Christensen is struggling with what appears to be a muscle injury. Chelsea is already down Thiago Silva at center-back. Trevoh Chalobah is ready on the sideline and it looked like he would enter the match in an early forced substitution for Thomas Tuchel, standing next to the fourth official with his substitute’s bib off, but instead Christensen comes back on to give it another go.

17th minute:  A big double chance for Chelsea goes begging. With the ball pinging around in the penalty area, Cesar Azpilicueta got his foot to it, but his weak effort slides through and hits the post. On the follow up, Rudiger tried a header from a very tight angle but saw his effort parried by Robert Sanchez in goal.

15th minute: Chelsea doesn’t have much to hang its hat on here early, but Mateo Kovacic, in his first start since late October, looks to be back at 100%. Making runs through the Brighton midfield and delivering a few cutting passes, the Croatian will be critical to Chelsea’s midfield depth and the Blues will be happy to see he is possibly back to his best.

11th minute:  The game has started quietly, and former Chelsea man Tariq Lamptey attempted to change that. The Brighton wide man cut inside against Reece James and charged laterally into the top of the penalty area, firing a shot wide left while falling down. Neither side has started terribly dangerously.

3rd minute:  Brighton started with the early minute or so of possession, but Chelsea with the first attacking move as Mason Mount charged forward but took too long to feed teammate Hudson-Odoi and the chance is snuffed by Brighton’s retreating defense.

1st minute:  We are under way! The assumption that Pulisic would be deployed at wing-back was put to the teset, with Hudson-Odoi the man to slide back into Alonso’s place according to Peacock’s pre-match lineups graphic, but as the teams take the field, it’s as we initially thought – however the flanks are reversed, with Reece James on the left, Pulisic on the right.

2:10 p.m.:  Brighton has never scored at Stamford Bridge. Is that about to change today? Chelsea lineup seeing two changes amongst the three center-backs.

1:40 p.m.:  Lineups are in! Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has deployed Christian Pulisic at wing-back, with Marcos Alonso the man replaced. Brighton sees Leandro Trossard miss out, with Yves Bissouma returning from suspension.

1:00 p.m.: Brighton will be wearing Turquoise away kits today, an interesting choice up against the blue of Chelsea, who will almost certainly wear something other than their home kit to avoid a clash.

12:27 p.m.: This is the level of domination Chelsea has exercised over Brighton in the Premier League. It will be tough for Chelsea not to look past the Seagulls ahead of the matchup against Liverpool on Sunday.

Chelsea vs. Brighton lineups

The Blues have serious issues among their squad, with both N’Golo Kante (knee) and Thiago Silva (hamstring) coming off injured on Boxing Day, and the congested festive fixtures providing no opportunity to heal up. Kante makes the bench, but Silva is missing altogether, with both Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr among the substitutes.

Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has yet to return from his ankle injury, while Kai Havertz is back from his bout with COVID-19, although Timo Werner is still missing.

Christian Pulisic deputized up front in the first half against Aston Villa, and was moved to wingback after halftime to make room for Lukaku. The American impressed enough in the second half to earn another out-of-position start on the left, with Marcos Alonso dropping to the bench. Callum Hudson-Odoi plays next to Mason Mount tucked behind talisman Romelu Lukaku who returns from his injury to make the starting lineup.

Chelsea projected starting lineup (3-5-2-1): Mendy (GK) — Christensen, Rudiger, Azpilicueta— Pulisic, Kovacic, Jorginho, James — Hudson-Odoi, Mount — Lukaku.

Chelsea subs (9):  Arrizabalaga (GK), Alonso, Chalobah, Sarr, Kante, Saul, Barkley, Havertz, Ziyech.

Brighton is still missing a number of key players, an injury list that contributed to its long winless run. Lewis Dunk is out until late January, while Jurgen Locadia is still down with COVID-19.

Joel Veltman was a game-time decision due to fatigue but makes the starting lineup, while Shane Duffy is struggling with post-COVID-19 symptoms. Leandro Trossard, who scored the opener in the Boxing Day win, is also iffy due to a hamstring problem, and was left out altogether by manager Graham Potter.

Midfielder Yves Bissouma returns from a suspension and slides back into the starting lineup, with Potter choosing to withdraw Enock Mwepu to make room.

Brighton projected starting lineup (4-5-1) : Sanchez (GK) — Cucurella, Burn, Veltman, Lamptey — March, Moder, Lallana, Bissouma, MacAllister — Maupay.

Brighton subs (9): Steele (GK), Webster, Mwepu, Gross, Alzate, Duffy, Richards, Ferguson, Welbeck.

How to watch Chelsea vs. Brighton

• Date: Wednesday, Dec. 29
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: —None—
• Spanish-language TV: —None—
• Streaming:  Peacock

The match will not be televised, but it will be streamed exclusively on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock.

Chelsea-Brighton betting tip, pick & prediction

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Lukaku would be expected to start after coming off the bench on Boxing Day, when he transformed Chelsea with his halftime introduction. He gives the team a true target to play through, and the players around him thrive. Against a Brighton team that doesn’t typically park the bus, Chelsea should get its chances.

And the Blues also have a strong history against Brighton, going 7W-0L-3D in 10 matches across all competitions. With that track record, Lukaku’s return, and an urgency not to lose further ground to Manchester City in the title race, Chelsea should not let a home win slip them here. Parlaying that likelihood with a Lukaku anytime goal is available for plus odds.

Pick: Lukaku to score & Chelsea to win (+125)

Prediction: Chelsea 2, Brighton 0

• Moneyline: Chelsea -280 / Draw +425 / Brighton +800
• Spread: Chelsea -1.5 (+100) / Brighton +1.5 (-115)
• O/U 2.5 total goals:  Over -130 / Under +105
• Both teams to score: Yes +120 / No -155