Chelsea continued their season finale with a 2-1 win over Brighton.
Goals from Cole Palmer (who else?) and Christopher Nkunku were enough for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to take the 3 points and move up to sixth place in the Premier League standings with a game to play.
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The night was marred by Reece James, who was playing only his second game since returning from a long injury, being sent off late for giving an irritable kick to Joao Pedro.
Here, Liam Twomey of The Athletic discusses the main conversational issues of the match.
Much has been written, especially in The Athletic, about the fact that this is Chelsea’s worst defensive season in the Premier League era.
But it’s also their third-highest-impact crusade in the competition, surpassed only by two seasons in which they finished as Premier League champions: 2009-10, when Carlo Ancelotti’s dominant side scored 103 goals in 38 games, and 2016-17, when Antonio Conte’s side on the clinical side scored 85 goals.
Chelsea’s total after their visit to Brighton stands at 75, one shy of the 76 goals scored in Thomas Tuchel’s only full season as head coach in 2021-22.
While they play, this talented young organisation will need to break through Bournemouth’s defence more than once at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
While Chelsea’s disastrous defensive record could be one of the most convincing pieces of evidence against Pochettino staying when the club publishes its end-of-season balance sheet next week, the Argentine can rightly point to his team’s dynamic attack as a sign. that “the procedure it oversees is moving in a positive direction. “
Chelsea lack balance between the two teams. This has been clear for most of the season and at times has made it an infuriating watch.
But if they manage to take their defence to a more classic point for this club next season, they will have the attacking quality to carry out a much more rewarding Premier League crusade in 2024-25.
Some others bet on pettiness, while others place themselves in the role of the villain and settle for it. Marc Cucurella belongs to the latter category.
With no Graham Potter to rebuke on the visitors’ bench, all the anger at the Amex Stadium was focused on his Brighton compatriots Cucurella and Moises Caicedo, the Spaniard temporarily and enthusiastically establishing himself as public enemy number one.
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Booed warmly at every touch, as was the case given his new assignment to transfer to central midfield when Chelsea had the ball, Cucurella upset the house enthusiasts in the opening minutes by bringing down Tariq Lamptey as the Cobham graduate tried to escape. To him.
His cynical credentials were reinforced by referee Michael Salisbury, who overturned a penalty he had committed for touching Facundo Buonanotte in the area with VAR. “Marc Cucurella, you know what you are,” the Brighton fans sang venomously.
But his call also resonated with Chelsea fans, and it’s not the first time. Cucurella, 25, is becoming a cult hero in the latter part of this season, bolstered by the fact that he’s helping his team more constantly than getting in the way. in his new role.
His decisive contribution came in the 34th minute: an intelligent underlying run into a cross position on the left and an attractive delivery that Palmer responded with a circular header to put Chelsea ahead.
Cucurella continued his rambling provocation that night, earning a push from Lamptey as he tried to win the ball back for a Chelsea free-kick. Brighton enthusiasts would possibly still hate him, but as long as he plays like this, he will be more appreciated in his new home.
Chelsea’s fourth consecutive Premier League victory stood out at every turn as a reminder of this team’s formidable firepower.
Palmer, Chelsea’s Player of the Season and one of the country’s most impressive players, added weight to the convincing argument that there is nothing he can’t do in attack with a header that Didier Drogba or Olivier Giroud would have considered among their best best.
GO FURTHER
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After the break, Nkunku secured the troubles by offering the best imaginable finish to Malo Gusto’s exact cut after the kind of run near the post that Chelsea have been looking for Mykhailo Mudryk to run for most of this season. First goal for the club since January.
Nkunku has only made 10 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, but at most each and every one of them has included a flash of his class. This is the type Pochettino built his attack on in the United States, with the star hoping to take on the maximum of the scoring load while Nicolas Jackson found his feet in England.
The fact that it took until the final weeks of the season to see Palmer and Nkunku rack up significant minutes on the pitch is an injustice to football, but it’s also a real indicator that Chelsea could be much better next season even if they don’t. Flag any new contracts. Go ahead this summer.
The only user who knows what went through Reece James’ brain when he sent off Joao Pedro in the final is Reece James.
It has been a moment of satisfaction, a new step on the road back after two hellish years of injuries that took their toll on his body, his career and his intellectual health.
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Wearing the captain’s armband as Chelsea enthusiasts chanted “He’s one of us,” all James had to do was play calmly and calmly in his team’s final minutes and assists.
Instead, he lost his and was forced to stare with a stony expression as Salisbury called the monitor, studied the evidence, and drew an inevitable red card.
His departure condemned Chelsea to 10 minutes of extra suffering in which he conceded Danny Welbeck and was forced to hold on to a valuable win that helps keep his delinquency rate on track to finish in sixth place.
Worse, James will have to serve a four-match suspension for his second red card in his last five appearances, a ban that will carry over to next season, interrupting the start of a new crusade that, along with Chelsea, he hoped would be a fresh start.
“The technique of the game, unlike a team that plays as well as Brighton, is a great honour for our players. I’m very satisfied and the 3 issues put us in a very smart position in the table to move to the bottom. “match against Bournemouth and have the opportunity to be in Europe.
“We have improved spin and performance. We talk about patience and when you have to build something, it takes time, but it turns out like an excuse in a big club. We keep painting and being positive and finishing in the right direction. It would be smart for the club.
Sunday 19 May Bournemouth (H), Premier League, 4 p. m. UK, 11 a. m. ET
Despite the comeback ending 0-0 in September, there has never been a draw between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge in all competitions (10 matches).
December 2022, the last Premier League meeting between the two teams at Stamford Bridge, in what turns out to be an eternity ago. Chelsea, controlled by Graham Potter, won 2-0, with Kai Havertz and Mason Mount on the scoreboard, and Chelsea starting. XI that includes five other players who are no longer in the club’s file.