Out of the chaos of his first season at Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino can see the prospect of a Europa League campaign taking shape.
It is small reward by the standards of his club’s recent history but reward nevertheless for Pochettino, whose team moved into sixth on a day when Todd Boehly, one of his bosses, could be heard espousing the value of patience.
Victory at Brighton through goals by Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku was their fourth in a row.
They are five unbeaten since a 5-0 mauling at Arsenal and this improvement has them in position to qualify for Europe going into Sunday’s finale at home against Bournemouth.
It was not all plain sailing for Chelsea on the south coast. Reece James was sent off just 20 minutes after coming on, kicking out at Joao Pedro after being fouled, and Danny Welbeck’s late goal, deep in stoppage time spoiled the clean sheet but Pochettino could yet end this season with something approaching satisfaction.
Chelsea jumped up to sixth in the Premier League table with a victory away at Brighton
Christopher Nkunku scored his first goal since January and his third since joining Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are finishing strongly and look likely to play in next year’s Europa League
Chelsea thought they had a penalty for a foul on Marc Cucurella only for it to be overturned
Djordje Petrovic celebrates after watching team-mate Palmer put the Blues ahead
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Palmer headed Chelsea into the lead with his 25th goal of the season. It came soon after Lewis Dunk had returned after receiving treatment for an injury and Brighton’s defence were still out of shape as Marc Cucurella crossed from the left.
Unmarked, Palmer moved forward effortlessly onto the ball and glanced it beyond Bart Verbruggen with a header fading away from the goalkeeper. The visitors deserved their lead. They carried the great goal threat through the first half.
Verbruggen made early saves from Palmer and Noni Madueke, and they thought they had a penalty when Cucurella, cutting into the penalty area from another raid down the left, was challenged by Facundo Bounanotte.
Michael Salisbury pointed to the spot when Cucurella tumbled, hardly surprising from a referee who gave fouls all night for the slightest contact but the replays showed Buonanotte won the ball so VAR Peter Bankes intervened and the penalty was overturned.
Salisbury’s aversion to contact saw him rule out a Chelsea goal just before half-time.
Nicolas Jackson climbed above Tariq Lamptey at the back post to head a cross from Benoit Badiashile into the net but was penalised for a push on the Brighton full back. It was a harsh decision.
Brighton flickered early on, with Simon Adingra going close from the edge of the penalty area when the game was 0-0, and their best effort of the first half came in the ninth minute of stoppage time when Joao Pedro crashed a header against the bar from a cross by Lamptey.
Mykhailo Mudryk went down with an injury and was forced off in the first-half of the game
Ukraine will be hoping the injury isn’t anything too serious ahead of next month’s Euro 2024
Chelsea goalkeeper Petrovic jumps for the ball as Brighton looked to find an equaliser
Nkunku celebrates with his Chelsea team-mates after doubling their lead after 64 minutes
Bart Verbruggen was perhaps lucky only to see yellow after fouling Nicolas Jackson
Referee Michael Salisbury was ordered to check the monitor for a foul by Reece James
VAR officials felt that the Chelsea full-back kicked out at Brighton star Joao Pedro (pictured)
James as a result was sent off, giving Brighton a very small chance of a late comeback
Chelsea lost Mykailo Mudryk in the first half, dazed after a collision with Lamptey and Dunk did not make it back for the second half, another injury concern brewing for England in central defence.
Brighton chased an equaliser but were vulnerable whenever the visitors broke and Nkunku, who replaced Mudryk, stretched the lead with his first goal since January, turning in a low cross from Malo Gusto.
Verbruggen escaped a red card despite cutting down Jackson outside the box before a late flurry of activity with James sent off and Adringra hit a post before Welbeck’s goal made for a frantic closing sequence.
