In Philadelphia On Saturday in Philadelphia, Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first goal for Chelsea, while Christopher Nkunku maintained his impressive preseason form as the Blues defeated Brighton with 10 men, 4-3.
Danny Welbeck gave Brighton the lead in the 13th minute, but Chelsea tied it up with Nkunku’s second goal in as many games on their tour of the United States.
Until Jan Paul van Hecke was dismissed after committing a reckless second bookable offense around the hour mark, this fascinating game was well matched. Chelsea then took advantage of their man advantage by scoring three goals in 11 minutes through Mudryk, Conor Gallagher, and Nicolas Jackson.
In front of 65,128 spectators at Lincoln Financial Field, Brighton came back with to goals from substitutes Deniz Undav and Joo Pedro in the 79th and 85th minutes, respectively, but Chelsea held on for their second straight victory under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The senior players Kepa Arrizabalaga, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Ben Chilwell entered the lineup as the Argentine made seven changes to the squad that defeated Wrexham 5-0 in North Carolina on Saturday.
While Nkunku made his debut after joining for £52 million from RB Leipzig.
Early on, Brighton appeared more focused in possession. On minute 13, former Blues midfielder Billy Gilmour crossed to the far post, where Kaoru Mitoma headed the ball back into the path of Welbeck, who finished from eight yards out off the underside of the crossbar.
Chelsea responded in just six minutes. Carney Chukwuemeka received the ball from Chilwell and quickly passed to Ian Maatsen.
Then Chukwuemeka attempted to cross, but the ball bounced off Gilmour and fell ideally for Nkunku to guide in a straightforward finish from close range. Only that shot was successful for Chelsea during the
At halftime, Pochettino made four substitutions in place of Silva, Chilwell, Chukwuemeka, and Maatsen: Mudryk, Marc Cucurella, Cesare Casadei, and Trevoh Chalobah.
Welbeck had a shot saved by Gallagher inside the box straight after the restart, but Brighton continued to seem the more dangerous team despite making four replacements as well, including the energetic Mahmoud Dahoud.
When van Hecke was dismissed for a second bookable offense, the game took an unexpected turn at the hour mark. Red cards in preseason games are uncommon, but when the Dutchman scythed down Casadei on the touchline, referee Robert Jones had no choice.
Chelsea benefited much from Mudryk’s assistance. The £89 million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk drove infield and swapped passes twice.
Jackson, who had just come on as a substitute, before burying a low shot from the edge of the box.
On the 72nd minute, Gallagher scored a third goal after Jackson poked a loose ball into the box through to him.
Senegal’s striker, a £32 million summer transfer from Villarreal, then pounced on Cucurella’s pass to score Chelsea’s first goal.
subsequently, replacement Pedro was fouled in the area by Levi Colwill, a player who Brighton is interested in signing after he spent last season on loan with Roberto De Zerbi’s team. Pedro subsequently scored the ensuing penalty kick from Brazil.
Brighton kept up the pressure, and in the 89th minute, Pedro connected with Undav thanks to a chaotic Chelsea defense.
The German managed to beat Arrizabalaga with a shot.
As Chelsea resume their Premier League Summer Series campaign against Newcastle United in Atlanta on Wednesday, Pochettino will take heart from Nkunku’s sharpness in front of goal, Andrey Santos’ impressive performance in midfield, Mudryk’s wonderful strike, and Jackson’s clever link-up play.
How has Chelsea performed against Brighton in the past
Historically, Chelsea has had a relatively strong record against Brighton in their previous meetings. They have often been the dominant side in head-to-head encounters in various competitions, including the Premier League and domestic cups.
The clubs have faced each other several times in the Premier League, with Chelsea securing victories in most of those encounters. However, it’s worth noting that football matches can be unpredictable, and past performances do not guarantee future outcomes.
Chelsea have defeated Brighton in 12 matches whereas lost 3 to them while 5 matches came to draw.
You can watch the matches Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)