Chelsea are one away from returning to Europe after Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku helped the Blues to a 2-1 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday.
The three points moved Chelsea into sixth place with 60 points, while Manchester United and Newcastle will play their own game on Wednesday at Old Trafford. The Red Devils came into this game with 54 points and Newcastle 57.
WATCH THE FULL REPLAY OF THE BRIGHTON VS CHELSEA MATCH
Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls drew 1-1 at Newcastle on Saturday against Les Bleus and were not at their best on Wednesday, however, Reece James’ expired red card gave them hope when Joao Pedro ruined Djordje Petrovic’s clean sheet in stoppage time.
Brighton will finish above their current tenth position and may drop to 13th position after Sunday’s championship.
It’s just a guy’s opinion here, but Chelsea would be crazy to sever ties with Mauricio Pochettino with this younger, healthier, real-looking team for the first time in a long time. It’s one thing if Pochettino doesn’t need to return to Stamford Bridge. , however, watching the Blues on Wednesday gave us a feeling we hadn’t felt about Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel’s departure. And you have to think that Les Bleus would need to recover that if they took the decision today. Do you want to succeed in Europe? Do you need your young team to feel like there’s something reliable?Getting rid of the one that survived this typhoon seems to be the right solution.
Brighton 1-2 Chelsea standings (from fotmob. com)
Brighton 1-2 Chelsea standings (from fotmob. com)
Chelsea will host Bournemouth on Sunday at 11 a. m. ET, when all 10 games begin on the final day of the season. Brighton finished their share of the last six fight against Manchester United.
Start: 2:45 p. m. h. ET Wednesday (May 15) TV Channel: Peacock PremiumOnline: Premier League on Peacock
Goalscorers: Palmer (34′), Nkunku (64′), Welbeck (90 7′)
Red card: James (88′)
Joao Pedro came in from the left seven minutes into the 10-minute stop, sending a low, hard pass for Danny Welbeck to cross the line.
VAR has taken a look at Reece James’ kick against Joao Pedro, and will the Blues captain’s day be short?
James is out and Chelsea will have to play the last two minutes plus stops with 10 men.
Malo Gusto slides into the right corner and makes a low pass to the group.
Nkunku scored his third Premier League goal of the season, pulling out a blue ball and inflating it in celebration.
Chelsea pass the ball outside the area and Noni Madueke signals a chance from Malo Gusto.
The Frenchman does not succeed and Chelsea are still waiting for his goal for sure.
Jackson played against Nkunku around the 18th minute, and the Frenchman fired off the post to start the second half.
Brighton were in danger of beating Petrovic before the break, but the Serbian scored.
Chelsea deserve their advantage even if their seven shots were incredibly dangerous.
The xG favors them and so does possession.
Jackson had the ball in the goal, but pushed Tariq Lamptey, who jumped toward the ball and maybe didn’t count it.
Tariq Lamptey blocks Mykhailo Mudryk from shoulder to head and looks ugly. The VAR, however, claims that the reviews are inconclusive, which is surprising.
Mudryk will come off the bench with concussion and Christopher Nkunku will take his place.
Cole Palmer pushes the ball down the left to Mykhailo Mudryk, who passes it to Conor Gallagher.
Marc Cucurella’s entry into the area was well located and the Catalan full-back made a great cross towards the goal.
Palmer runs towards the goal and finds the ball to pass it through the frame and into the corner.
Very nice. 1-0 for the season for Palmer.
Malo Gusto forced Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to continue his recent play with a left-footed rebound saved from a corner.
This leads to a corner, but Chelsea can’t do anything about it.
Marc Cucurella enters the area and Facundo Buonanotte brings him down. There is a point to score, Buonanotte caught the ball first.
A lengthy review requires a screen examination and the sanction will be given to Chelsea.
The Seagulls settled in against Chelsea and took the lead before a Conor Gallagher intervention led to a corner for Brighton.
The set came to nothing and after seven minutes we were still 0-0.
Verbruggen, Lamptey, Dunk, Webster, Buonanotte, Julio, Gilmour, Gross, Enciso, Adingra, Pedro
Petrovic, Gusto, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella, Caicedo, Gallagher, Palmer, Maduele, Mudryk, Jackson
The Seagulls will be hoping Pedro and Veltman have bounced back from the blows, while the experienced trio of Welbeck, Gross and Dunk will be the backbone of the team.
STARTS: Kaoru Mitoma (lower back), Jean Paul van Hecke (thigh), Evan Ferguson (ankle), Solly March (knee), Jack Hinshelwood (ankle), James Milner (thigh), Pervis Estupinan (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Joao Pedro (ankle), Joel Veltman (shot)
Chelsea’s injuries have finally subsided and Sterling and Nkunku could make a big impact off the bench, while Palmer, Gallagher and Caicedo have a big impact on games.
OUT: Enzo Fernandez (groin), Romeo Lavia (hamstring – off-season), Wesley Fofana (ACL rupture – off-season), Robert Sanchez (illness) | QUESTIONABLE: Carney Chukwuemeka (knee), Ben Chilwell (knee)
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