Match ends, Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Chelsea 1.
Brighton provided another huge blow to Chelsea's dwindling hopes of winning this season's Premier League title by coming from behind to claim a well-deserved draw at the Amex Stadium.
Adam Webster found all the space he needed to head in from a corner in the second half and give the home side a point to reward a display full of energy and endeavour.
Thomas Tuchel's side started poorly and lacked authority throughout, opening the scoring against the run of play through Hakim Ziyech's well-struck low drive from outside the box.
But they failed to build on the moment, never looking assured, and for all their desperate intent simply could not find a way to restore their lead and claim the vital win.
The gap between the third-placed Blues and imperious leaders Manchester City is 12 points, with Thomas Tuchel's side having played a game more - surely an insurmountable gulf.
Brighton are now unbeaten in six games in all competitions and continue to grow in confidence and class under Graham Potter.
Lifted by their equaliser, they looked the side far more likely to win the game in the final 30 minutes, instead having to settle for a point that leaves them on 29, three short of a European qualification spot.
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Albion again demonstrate their progress under Potter
Brighton can take great pride in being the bookends for a 21-day period that has seen Chelsea's title hopes dwindle.
The two points Albion have claimed from those games will do less for their own league standing than the four they have denied the Blues will do to damage theirs, but they are symbolic of the huge strides this side is taking under Potter.
In both of those games, Brighton have had to come from behind, but each time a draw was the least they deserved against a side packed with elite talent, managed by a coach Fifa consider the best in the world and with fresh memories of European glory.
At Stamford Bridge they managed 18 efforts at goal before Danny Welbeck nodded in the last of them in injury time.
The stats say they had eight shots in total at the Amex, but this barely does justice to the pressure they applied, the territory they claimed and the promising openings that went begging but for a misplaced pass or a last-gasp interception.
Despite having first-choice forward pair Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard on the bench until the latter stages, the Seagulls looked a constant threat. Jakub Moder fired just wide early on, Welbeck fluffed a couple of shots, crosses flew regularly through the box as the European champions dug in.
Webster's equalising header from Alexis Mac Allister's corner was as good as any you will see - powerful and precise after a run to evade a marker and into space.
The harshest critic might suggest that Albion have once again failed to make their dominance count - something Potter's side were booed off the pitch for here not too long ago.
But this is a side punching way above its weight and on the up.
Chelsea a shadow of their former self
The last 21 days have been punishing for Chelsea. Seven games played in all competitions, three league points taken from a possible 12.
Tuchel reiterated afterwards the physical and mental tiredness that his injury-depleted side are suffering, showing that even one of the biggest, most expensively assembled squads is not immune to human frailty.
At their best last season, the Blues were a machine, strong-arming opponents into submission through a dominance of possession and tactical superiority. Here they struggled to match the intensity of their opponents and never looked in control.
It was telling that Ziyech did not celebrate his goal against the run of play, a reflection perhaps of the the fact the result was far from a foregone conclusion.
And so it proved, with Webster evading sloppy marking to level and deny the visitors another clean sheet. They have now kept just two in their past 13 games.
The Blues have now also failed to win any of the past four Premier League games in which they have scored first - hardly the trait of potential champions.
Player of the match
WebsterAdam Webster
Brighton & Hove Albion
Avg
- Squad number4Player nameWebsterAverage rating
8.09
- Squad number2Player nameLampteyAverage rating
7.96
- Squad number3Player nameCucurellaAverage rating
7.80
- Squad number33Player nameBurnAverage rating
7.46
- Squad number10Player nameMac AllisterAverage rating
7.38
- Squad number17Player nameAlzateAverage rating
7.11
- Squad number15Player nameModerAverage rating
7.05
- Squad number11Player nameTrossardAverage rating
7.04
- Squad number18Player nameWelbeckAverage rating
6.95
- Squad number34Player nameVeltmanAverage rating
6.88
- Squad number1Player nameSánchezAverage rating
6.86
- Squad number20Player nameMarchAverage rating
6.84
- Squad number13Player nameGroßAverage rating
6.72
- Squad number9Player nameMaupayAverage rating
5.74
Chelsea
Avg
- Squad number6Player nameThiago SilvaAverage rating
5.86
- Squad number1Player nameArrizabalagaAverage rating
5.70
- Squad number28Player nameAzpilicuetaAverage rating
5.42
- Squad number7Player nameKantéAverage rating
5.19
- Squad number2Player nameRüdigerAverage rating
5.15
- Squad number22Player nameZiyechAverage rating
4.88
- Squad number8Player nameKovacicAverage rating
4.54
- Squad number19Player nameMountAverage rating
4.50
- Squad number11Player nameWernerAverage rating
4.43
- Squad number3Player nameAlonsoAverage rating
4.25
- Squad number29Player nameHavertzAverage rating
4.19
- Squad number20Player nameHudson-OdoiAverage rating
3.97
- Squad number5Player nameJorginhoAverage rating
3.89
- Squad number9Player nameLukakuAverage rating
3.42
Line-ups
Brighton
Formation 4-1-4-1
- 1Sánchez
- 34Veltman
- 4Webster
- 33BurnBooked at 80mins
- 3Cucurella
- 17Alzate
- 2LampteySubstituted forMarchat 76'minutes
- 13GroßSubstituted forMaupayat 62'minutes
- 10Mac Allister
- 18WelbeckSubstituted forTrossardat 62'minutes
- 15Moder
Substitutes
- 9Maupay
- 11Trossard
- 16Scherpen
- 20March
- 25Caicedo
- 28Roberts
- 38McGill
- 42Leonard
- 58Ferguson
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-2-2
- 1Arrizabalaga
- 28Azpilicueta
- 6Thiago Silva
- 2RüdigerBooked at 81mins
- 3AlonsoBooked at 59mins
- 7Kanté
- 5JorginhoSubstituted forKovacicat 80'minutes
- 22ZiyechSubstituted forWernerat 80'minutes
- 19Mount
- 9LukakuSubstituted forHavertzat 80'minutes
- 20Hudson-Odoi
Substitutes
- 8Kovacic
- 10Pulisic
- 11Werner
- 12Loftus-Cheek
- 13Bettinelli
- 17Saúl
- 29Havertz
- 31Sarr
- 75Hall
- Referee:
- Kevin Friend
- Attendance:
- 30,880
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home43%
- Away57%
- Shots
- Home10
- Away15
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away3
- Corners
- Home5
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home8
- Away5
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Chelsea 1.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Post update
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Marc Cucurella.
Post update
Foul by Marcos Alonso (Chelsea).
Post update
Solly March (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Leandro Trossard (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Solly March with a cross.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Neal Maupay (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Adam Webster.
Post update
Attempt missed. Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Neal Maupay.
Post update
Offside, Brighton and Hove Albion. Neal Maupay tries a through ball, but Leandro Trossard is caught offside.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Timo Werner (Chelsea) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mateo Kovacic.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Booking
Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Timo Werner replaces Hakim Ziyech.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Mateo Kovacic replaces Jorginho.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Kai Havertz replaces Romelu Lukaku.
Booking
Dan Burn (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Dan Burn (Brighton and Hove Albion).
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Comments
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Really not good enough and all too predictable
But that’s enough about Brighton …
Even Solskjær would be embarrassed with that record.
Keep up the good work Tuchel.
Get a proper striker and you’ll be a top 6 side
As for Chelsea, 1 win out of 7!!
That is relegation form!!!
Bit better than 25 years ago today being 7 points off the bottom of Division 3.