It’s only preseason, but Chelsea fans could be forgiven for possibly sewing seeds of hope as the new Premier League season draws closer. Following a 5-0 demolition of Welsh minnows Wrexham a few days prior, Chelsea picked a strong Brighton & Hove Albion side apart to collect a 4-3 victory from Philadelphia in the Premier League Summer Series.
While Brighton were up to the task in the first half, with the score level at 1-1 at the break thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea snatched hold of the match after the break and put themselves well in front. It was aided by a red card on the hour mark to Brighton defender Jan Paul van Heck who picked up his second yellow and left the Seagulls a man down for a third of the match.
Once they had the advantage, Chelsea’s deeper squad took charge. Mykhaylo Mudryk put the Blues in front shortly after the van Heck red, while Conor Gallagher and Nico Jackson added two more. Brighton got a pair of late consolation goals from Joao Pedro and Denis Undav, with the former impressing on his debut for the club, but it wasn’t enough.
Brighton’s late surge could largely be chalked up to the disjointed nature of friendlies doing much to nullify Chelsea’s man advantage as the substitutions mounted. Mudryk and Jackson were the most impressive Blues players, while Cesare Casadei was also bright off the bench and Ben Chilwell was strong early. Brighton will be buoyed by Pedro’s star performance late despite the defeat.
The Sporting News followed the action live, providing updates and highlights from this Premier League Summer Series game as it happened.
FULLTIME: Chelsea 4-3 Brighton
Six minutes of added time come and go without event, and the two managers share a smile and huge on the pitch at the full-time whistle. Chelsea come away with the win in a thrilling match, with multiple positive performances to take home from Philadelphia. The Seagulls gave it a real go at the end despite their disadvantage, but couldn’t find the equalizer, and on the whole deserved their defeat. Still, there are positives to take from the match for Brighton, as playing 30 minutes a man down in preseason surely isn’t what Roberto De Zerbi had in mind for today.
Chelsea vs Brighton: Second Half
89th min: GOAL! BRIGHTON! Well well, Brighton make the most of every attack, and here they have pulled back within one! Joao Pedro is again in the middle of the move, as his dizzying dance on the ball feeds an open Denis Undav for the finish in front of goal. Kepa had no chance! Six minutes of added time is shown, and could there be time for an unlikely equalizer?
82nd min: Levi Colwill is withdrawn in favor of Lewis Hall. A disappointing finish to the match for Colwill, who looked to be cramping up soon after giving away the penalty. Might have just run out of gas. Marc Cucurella moves over to centre-back. Attendance is 65,128 here at Lincoln Financial Field.
78th min: Penalty, Brighton! Despite Brighton playing a man down, Joao Pedro has remained a danger, and he wins a penalty off a poor challenge by Levi Colwill, who forces the referee to point to the spot. The 21-year-old won it, so he steps up to take, and…GOAL! BRIGHTON! It’s a quality debut from Brighton’s new No. 9, who blasts home their second from the spot!
76th min: GOAL! CHELSEA! Nicolas Jackson puts Chelsea out of sight for his third goal contribution and first goal of his own! What a performance off the bench for the new Chelsea striker! He makes an inch-perfect run and receives a ball from deep by Cucurella, and one-on-one with the goalkeeper finishes calmly by lifting it over Bart Verbruggen.
72nd min: GOAL! CHELSEA! Out of the drinks break, Chelsea continue to take full advantage of the man advantage! Cesare Casadei carries the ball into the penalty area, shrugging off multiple Brighton defenders. He is dispossessed but it falls right to Nico Jackson, who controls it brilliantly and pokes to Conor Gallagher for a calm finish. The Blues are comfortably in front now!
69th min: The second half hydration break arrives, as Ben Chilwell does an interview on the NBC broadcast in the United States. A fascinating eye into this preseason match!
64th min: GOAL! CHELSEA! Mykahylo Mudryk scores a brilliant goal to put Chelsea in front! He plays two consecutive give-and-go’s with Nicolas Jackson, who is only just onto the field, and the Ukrainian finishes it with a low blast! Brighton make another change as Pascal Gross is withdrawn for Jensen Weir, whose father is the club’s technical director.
60th min: RED CARD! BRIGHTON! Jan Paul van Heck was booked a few minutes ago, and now he’s been sent off for barging over Cesare Casadei! There’s no argument to be had, as he just throws a shoulder into the young Italian midfielder. With van Heck’s early shower, Brighton are down to 10 men, with just two players still on the field from their starting lineup (Jack Hinshelwood and Pascal Gross). Chelsea make three more changes, as Enzo Fernandez enters for Andrey Santos, while Nicolas Jackson comes on for Christopher Nkunku.
55th min: It takes the Brighton substitutes no time to have an impact, as Joao Pedro receives a through ball to unlock the Chelsea defense, but the angle is closed off and his flick across the face of goal finds nobody. Moments later, Pedro tries to win a penalty by selling a bump from from Karou Mitoma, but it’s a cheap attempt to earn a chance from the spot. Jack Hinshelwood is booked in the aftermath for an earlier foul on Raheem Sterling.
52nd min: Chance, Brighton! Danny Welbeck, already with a goal in this game, nearly grabs another. Karou Mitoma gets into a dangerous position but hesitates and is cut off, so he cuts it back to Welbeck at the penalty spot, but his shot doesn’t make it through the forest of defenders. Karou Mitoma also withdrawn. Moments later, Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku is booked for a foul in midfield. Brighton make another four substitutions, with Joao Pedro entering the field for his first minutes…
