Joao Pedro a central figure - player ratings for Chelsea v Brighton
By
Football reporter at Stamford Bridge
Published
16 minutes ago
Cole Palmer scored what turned out to be the decisive goal in a thrilling 4-3 victory for Chelsea over Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro put the Blues 3-0 up, but Brighton reduced the deficit to a single goal through Malick Yalcouye and a Joao Pedro own goal before Palmer made it four. Pascal Gross then headed in a 96th-minute consolation goal after a dangerous long throw-in was not dealt with.
Here's how I rated the players, and how you rated them.
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Published
21 August
Chelsea
Emiliano Martinez: The new signing was thrown straight in, claiming two early crosses and making saves from Malick Yalcouye and Charalampos Kostoulas - though the former did beat him with a well-struck volley. He was tested again as Brighton pushed for an equaliser in the second half. 8
Wesley Fofana: Drove forward well in possession and helped pull Brighton players out of position in the build-up. 7
Maxence Lacroix: The new signing from Crystal Palace was confident in possession but not always convincing in a defensive display that was occasionally ragged. 6
Levi Colwill: Also looked comfortable on the ball but was caught out of position at times in new manager Xabi Alonso's system. 6
Pedro Neto: Tapped in Chelsea's second goal and put a chance on a plate for Joao Pedro. However, he was most at fault for over-committing to a challenge in the build-up to Brighton's first goal. 7
Malo Gusto: Played out of position in midfield. It was a quiet performance, but he delivered some good corners. 6
Romeo Lavia: After threatening to score from a similar situation in midweek, Lavia tapped in his first Chelsea goal after four minutes. 7
Jorrel Hato: The Dutchman provided a wonderful assist on the counter-attack while playing at wing-back. 7
Cole Palmer: Scored with a wonderful curling effort in the 75th minute. He pressed well but also missed a good chance early in the second half. 8
Joao Pedro: The Brazilian produced a clever flick for Chelsea's opening goal, showcased some excellent touches and made amends for missing a good chance by scoring the Blues' third. 8
Morgan Rogers: His powerful running down the flank set up Neto for Chelsea's second goal. He should have had another assist, but Palmer blazed his effort over the bar. 7
Subs:
Josh Acheampong (on 68, Fofana): Helped steady Chelsea defensively after coming on. 6
Reece James (on 68, Neto): Contributed at both ends of the pitch and provided added energy down the flank. 7
Moises Caicedo (on 68, Lavia): His afternoon was cut short after just 11 minutes as he left the pitch in tears. 6
Pep Chavarria (on 72, Colwill): An energetic cameo and looked eager to get forward. 6
Valentin Barco (on 82, Caicedo): 6
Subs not used: Penders, Gittens, Estevao Willian, Welbeck.
Brighton
Bart Verbruggen: Struggled when coming out to claim the ball for Chelsea's opening goal, but made several good saves later in the match. 5
Olivier Boscagli: Made little impact and was part of a disjointed defensive performance. 5
Lewis Dunk: Did not stand out and was involved in a lacklustre defensive display. Also fortunate to avoid greater punishment for a poor challenge on Joao Pedro. 5
Luka Vuskovic: Tested the goalkeeper with a long-range effort in the first half but looked unconvincing defensively. 5
Ferdi Kadioglu: Struggled to cope with the combination of Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto down Chelsea's right. 5
Pascal Gross: The German delivered an excellent cross to create Yalcouye's first opportunity of the game, and had the last word with his late goal. 7
Mats Wieffer: Failed to deal with an early corner, which led to a mix-up with Verbruggen and ultimately Chelsea's opener. 5
Maxim de Cuyper: Offered little attacking threat while operating in an unfamiliar advanced role because of Brighton's injury problems. 5
Malick Yalcouye: Produced an energetic display, registering Brighton's first shot before scoring with a first-time volley that went in off the post. 7
Diego Gomez: Brighton's most dangerous attacking player but also guilty of missing several chances. 5
Charalampos Kostoulas: Played a key role in Brighton's first goal after seeing an initial effort saved, but struggled to provide a consistent threat. 6
Subs:
Ibrahim Osman (on 74, Yalcouye): Made little obvious impact. 6
Costinha (on 80, Wieffer): 6
Promise David (on 80, Kostoulas): 6
Subs not used: Steele, Struijk, Hadjam, Cozier-Duberry, O'Riley, Oriola.
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Published
8 June
