'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Having snatched an impressive 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, Chelsea were full of confidence going into their final game of the year against Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, Danny Welbeck’s injury-time header held the Blues to a 1-1 draw, landing another blow to their title aspirations. Chelsea are now eight points behind runaway leaders Manchester City, with Liverpool close on their heels.
Both Chelsea and Brighton were eager to end the year on a high and looked menacing in the early stages. Chelsea ace Romelu Lukaku was the clear standout performer for the hosts on Wednesday night and broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. Just like last weekend, Lukaku dispatched a thumping header to leave the opposition keeper for dead.
Trending
Brighton, however, refused to roll over as they came back hard at Chelsea. Alexis Mac Allister and Adam Lallana caused the Blues all sorts of problems. Unfortunately for the traveling fans, the finishing touch was missing.
The second half saw Brighton dominate proceedings. They made Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy work hard and looked certain to get something out of the game. The goal finally came through former Arsenal man Danny Welbeck, who rose the highest to meet Marc Cucurella’s brilliant cross. The game ended 1-1, allowing Manchester City to pull further ahead in the Premier League title race.
Here are the five Chelsea players who were responsible for their team’s disappointing outing at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night:
#5 Mateo Kovacic
Starting his first Premier League game since late October, Mateo Kovacic had a sub-par outing against Brighton on Wednesday night. The former Real Madrid man often held the ball for far too long and drew unnecessary pressure.
Sometimes he was able to beat the press with intelligent passes, but in other instances, he simply gave the ball away far too easily.
Kovacic was rarely explosive in the final-third as well and looked rusty at times.
#4 Marcos Alonso
Chelsea wing-back Reece James went down with a hamstring problem in the 26th minute, forcing Thomas Tuchel to introduce Marcos Alonso.
The Spaniard played a more defensive role against a hungry Brighton side, struggling to stamp his authority.
He only completed 17 passes over the course of the match and lost possession eight times. Alonso also did not register even a single shot, key pass or cross.
A shockingly poor night by the Chelsea stalwart.
#3 Christian Pulisic
Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic has not been at his best lately. The USA international had the opportunity to make his mark in the absence of Romelu Lukaku and co., but failed to do anything of note.
Last night, he was used as a right wing-back, carrying the responsibility of juggling both attack and defense.
Surprisingly, Pulisic was rather brilliant at the back. He pressed valiantly and even completed a couple of tackles to thwart Brighton’s advances.
Marc Cucurella, who was having the game of his life, kept Pulisic on his toes all night long and kept the American from venturing forward.
Pulisic had 20 passes inside the opposition half, completed two long balls and played one key pass. He did not register a single shot against the Seagulls on Wednesday night.
For a player playing out of position, he did pretty well, but Chelsea needed more from their high-flying American.
#2 Jorginho
Chelsea’s ever-reliable central midfielder Jorginho stuck to the right side of midfield against Brighton. The Italian international started well and passed the ball around with ease in the opening minutes. He did not have much to do in the first half and decided to take it easy.
Eventually, Brighton caught up to him and exposed his defensive weaknesses with mazy runs and quick passes. The pressure took a toll on the player as he started giving the ball away carelessly.
He lost possession a whopping 15 times against the visitors on Wednesday. The double European champion also contributed nothing to Chelsea's attack against the Seagulls.
His fatigue was painfully evident in the final quarter, but Tuchel did not have any more substitutions left in the bank.
#1 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi did well in the Boxing Day win over Aston Villa on Sunday. Tuchel, who was thoroughly impressed with the Englishman's work at Villa Park, decided to keep him in the lineup for Chelsea’s final game of the year.
Sadly, he failed to build upon his weekend performance and looked out of gas.
As always, Hudson-Odoi’s runs with the ball were spot on. He regularly picked up the ball in his own half and tried to take the game to the opposition. The openings were there, but his final ball always let him down.
In the 56th minute, Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount found themselves in a two-on-one situation. He had all the time in the world to have a go at goal but ended up trying to set up Mount instead. His cross was poor and was dealt with easily by Joel Veltman.
