Chelsea secured yet another impressive win as they beat Brighton 2-1 in the away game at the Amex Stadium. Goals from Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku were enough to seal the deal for the Blues, who ended the game with 10 men. Brighton brought some intensity in the final minutes as they scored a goal in the 97th minute, but Chelsea did well to hold their lead and come out of the game victorious.
The Blues started the game with a chance inside the first five minutes, courtesy of Noni Madueke. However, his shot was saved by the Brighton goalkeeper to prevent the Seagulls from conceding an early goal. Chelsea kept making attacking plays, but once again were denied by themselves as they failed to make the most of their chances.
It was Cole Palmer who once again stepped up with a goal as he headed the cross from Marc Cucurella in the back of the net to give the Blues a lead. Having taken a lead going into halftime, Chelsea were expected to show more intent in the second half. But they failed to do that as Brighton came out strong and had a few chances of their own to equalize. The London side needed a second goal to shut down the Seagulls and that came through their substitute Christopher Nkunku who scored a goal from a wonderful cross made by Malo Gusto.
What does a European spot mean for Chelsea?
Chelsea has been a team that has faced a lot of stick from the media. Despite spending over a billion on players, they were looking all over the place in the first half of the season. They managed to get to the Finals of the Carabao Cup and the Semi-Final of the FA Cup, but aside from that, they had nothing to show for the money spent.
However, in the last four Premier League games, the world has seen a complete turnaround from Chelsea. The team have won four consecutive games and scored 12 goals in this time. They look in sync and are playing some great football to secure wins. A lot of credit for this goes to Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinian was heavily criticised by fans for the lack of good results earlier in the season. But as the season has progressed, Poch’s work with the team is becoming increasingly visible.
Currently, in the sixth spot, Chelsea has an outside chance of finishing fifth on the final matchday. But for that, they will need Tottenham Hotspurs to lose their game to Sheffield United. From being in the bottom half of the table to pushing for a European spot, Chelsea’s turnaround has been incredible. If they are able to make it to the Europa League, this project certainly has a great future ahead.
