Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between
Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea at the Amex Stadium!
Both of these teams have enjoyed decent campaigns up to this point but are coming into this match off the back of contrasting results last weekend. Brighton's home record - of which I will speak discuss more later - makes this game look a lot more interesting than it may appear at first glance, but Chelsea remain the favourites to come away with all three points.
I will have a look at exactly why a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
BRIGHTON STARTING XI: Ryan; Montoya, Balogun, Dunk, Bernardo; Knockaert, Propper, Stephens; March, Murray, Gross
BRIGHTON SUBS: Steele, Bruno, Bong, Kayal, Bissouma, Andone, Locadia
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic;
Pedro, Hazard, Willian
CHELSEA SUBS: Caballero, Christensen, Emerson, Fabregas, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Giroud
Chelsea remain unchanged from the win over Manchester City, then, which is perhaps unsurprising considering the magnitude of that result.
What that does mean is that Eden Hazard will lead the line once again for the visitors today, chosen ahead of Olivier Giroud with Alvaro Morata missing out entirely due to a knee injury. Willian and Pedro continue either side of Hazard on the flanks, but he will be the focal point of the attack today.
There was a school of thought that Giroud might come back into the side due to his aerial presence against this Brighton defence, but Hazard - who has previously spoken of his dislike for this false nine role - is given the nod again.
Before yesterday's games the Belgian was the leading assist-maker in the league with eight - including both goals against Man City - which is already double the tally he achieved in 34 games last season.
Should he register another assist today then he would have managed at least one in four successive Premier League outings for the first time. The last Chelsea player to achieve that feat was Cesc Fabregas in September 2014.
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Hazard was one of a number of first-team players Sarri had the luxury of resting in midweek,and today he makes 10 changes from the side which played out a 2-2 draw with Videoton.
Willian - who scored the opener in Budapest - is the only player to retain his place in the side from that win as the likes of Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek once again have to make do with a place on the bench.
Mateo Kovacic had been a major doubt for this match but is deemed fit enough to start alongside Kante and Jorginho, the latter two of whom went some way to silencing a growing group of critics with their performances against Man City.
At the back, Sarri reverts to his preferred back four and the world's most expensive goalkeeper is behind them, although Kepa has not kept consecutive league clean sheets on a personal basis since August 2017 in La Liga.
As for Brighton, their headline news is that top-scorer Glenn Murray returns to the starting lineup as expected, having been restricted to a substitute role against Burnley last weekend.
The should problem which kept him out of the side has now healed, though, and the veteran will be looking to add to his tally of eight league goals already. Those goals have won Brighton nine points this season, which is the joint-highest tally of any player alongside Richarlison and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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Murray's return is one of three changes made by
Chris Hughton from that defeat to Burnley last weekend, with the others seeing Martin Montoya and Dale Stephens return to the starting lineup too.
Montoya replaces the veteran Bruno at right-back - perhaps to help deal with the pace of Chelsea's wingers and benefit from his knowledge of former Barcelona teammate Pedro - while Stephens comes in for Bissouma.
Both Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Jose Izquierdo miss out once again following recent injuries, though, while Shane Duffy remains suspended following his red card against Crystal Palace recently.
Duffy's absence means that Leon Balogun once again starts alongside Dunk at the heart of the defence, having come on and scored within seconds during that derby against Palace.
Anthony Knockaert retains his place in the side and will likely join March and Murray in the front three while Brighton have possession, but for the most part it is likely to be closer to a 4-5-1 formation for the hosts today.
Propper will have the job of quelling the influence of that Chelsea midfield alongside Stephens and the creative talents of Gross, the latter of whom is yet to rediscover the fine form from his debut season so far this term.
It is by no means a star-studded Brighton team, then, but their collective quality is stronger than its individual parts and they have once again enjoyed a decent season so far.
It is easy to forget that last term was the Seagulls' first in the Premier League, but they have never looked in any serious danger of suffering relegation since then and the same is very much true at this stage of the campaign - although Hughton will know that there is still a long way to go in this Premier League season.
Eleven points separates Brighton from the relegation zone, though, and considering that was only a four-point gap at the same stage last season - when they went on to beat the drop quite comfortably - they will be feeling pretty good about themselves right now.
Indeed, despite sitting 13th in the table, Brighton are only five points adrift of sixth-placed Manchester United and a victory today could see them move into the top half of the table, should they win by enough. It is all very tight in the middle of the standings and Brighton are firmly in that second mini-league which has developed.
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Thoughts of emulating Burnley and challenging for a European spot may have entered a few of the more optimistic fans' minds, but the first goal will still be to get to that 40-point mark.
The Seagulls are already more than halfway there, though, and are four points better off than at the same stage of last season. Brighton only won nine matches throughout the 2017-18 campaign, but they have already picked up maximum points on six occasions this term.
There are two main reasons behind Brighton's success since their return to the top flight, and the biggest of those has been their very impressive home form.
The Seagulls would have finished rock-bottom of the table last season had only away form counted, whereas their home form alone would have left them eighth. It is a similar story so far this season too, where they have been beaten only once on their home patch.
Tottenham Hotspur are the only visiting team to have come away from the Amex with all three points in the league from Brighton's last 10 home games, including the tail end of last season, which is an impressive record for a team of their inexperience at this level.
However, the concern going into today's match will be that four of their five home defeats since their promotion to the Premier League have come against members of the 'big six'.
Such a stat may not be particularly surprising - there is a reason why they are regarded as the big six, after all - but it may not help Brighton much ahead of a difficult run of fixtures here at the Amex.
Their next four home games all come against teams currently sitting in the top seven of the table, with Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool following in succession to today's game. Only the top four have conceded fewer goals at home than Brighton this season, though, and they average two points a game at the Amex in 2018-19, so they will fancy their chances of pulling off a shock along the way.
Today in particular Hughton will be looking for a response from his side following their 1-0 defeat to struggling Burnley last weekend, when the Seagulls only managed their first shot on target in the 93rd minute.
While their defensive strength is the second pillar of their success since promotion, their attack exploits - even with the in-form Glenn Murray - have at times let them down and 13 of their 19 goals scored this season have come from set pieces.
Successfully defend set pieces and you go a long way towards stopping Brighton, then, and Chelsea will bear that in mind as they look to back up their biggest result under
Maurizio Sarri so far.
Manchester City were unbeaten and looking like good bets for the title before their trip to Stamford Bridge last weekend, but the Blues pulled off a huge 2-0 victory which not only dented City's title hopes, but also breathed new life into their own.
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That result will not paper over the cracks which Chelsea still need to address, and they were a comfortable second best for the vast majority of the first half, but as soon as they began to take the game to City they proved to be a match for the champions.
It also went some way to debunking the growing belief that Chelsea are a simple team to nullify - stop Jorginho and you stop Chelsea. That opinion arose from a couple of defeats in quick succession, but the Blues proved against City that it is not quite that simple.
Even so, Chelsea still begin the day 10 points behind leaders Man City after their triumph over Everton yesterday, and while they will not have entirely given up on a title challenge just yet, their main focus must be on securing a top-four spot first and foremost.
Only goal difference currently separates them from London rivals Arsenal in fifth, and Chelsea fans may have one eye on how the Gunners get on against Southampton at the same time as this match.
Indeed, despite an overall good start to life under
Maurizio Sarri, there may be some concern amongst Chelsea fans that they are only two points better than at the same stage of last season, when they went on to miss out on the top four.
The Blues looked like genuine title contenders when they won their first five league games of the campaign, but since then they have won only five of the next 11, drawing four and losing against both Spurs and Wolves. No manager in Premier League history has made such a long unbeaten start to their career in the division, but Sarri warned all the way that there was still plenty of work to do and he has been proved right in recent weeks.
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Chelsea are today looking for back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the beginning of November, but they have been in action once since that victory over Manchester City last weekend.
It was a much-changed Chelsea side which took on Videoton in the Europa League on Thursday night, though, and they had already won the group comfortably before behind held to a 2-2 draw by their Hungarian opponents, needing a 75th-minute Giroud goal to avoid defeat.
One positive statistic for Chelsea is that they have kept a clean sheet in all five of their Premier League matches directly after a Europa League game so far this season, and their defence has been decent so far this term.
There have been occasional blips from some of the backline - the Tottenham game immediately springs to mind - but only Liverpool and Man City have conceded fewer so far this term.
It is away from home where Chelsea will now be looking for improvement, having lost their last two league games on the road - at Spurs and then Wolves. Another defeat today would make it three on the bounce for the first time since March.
It is only a recent slump, though; Chelsea had won seven and lost none of their previous eight away games across all competitions prior to their current run of three without a win, which includes Thursday's trip to Hungary.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Amex, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Brighton have been strong at home this season and should give Chelsea a good game, but the Blues will be flying after that triumph over Man City last weekend. We're going for an away victory for Chelsea.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Brighton 1-2 Chelsea
Brighton just so happen to be Chelsea's favourite league opponents of all time, having won all six previous league meetings between the two sides - their best 100% record against any club.
Chelsea have won those games by an aggregate score of 12-1, and their two previous Premier League showdowns have seen Chelsea run out 6-0 winners on aggregate - including a 4-0 triumph on their last visit to the Amex.
Portsmouth are the only other club against whom Chelsea have ever won their first three Premier League games without conceding a goal, and the history books suggest they might achieve that again today.
Brighton have not scored past Chelsea since 1983, and that is the only goal they have managed in this fixture in their last eight meetings with the Blues across all competitions - all of which have ended in defeat.
Brighton have conceded 18 goals in those eight meetings, so the term bogey team doesn't really do justice for how poor their record is against today's visitors.
The Seagulls do have one past victory over Chelsea to their name, but you have to go back to their very first meeting in 1933 for that, with Brighton running out 2-1 winners in the third round of the FA Cup.
Right, the players are out and we're almost ready to get going here. A reminder of the team news before we do get started...
BRIGHTON STARTING XI: Ryan; Montoya, Balogun, Dunk, Bernardo; Gross, Propper, Stephens; Knockaert, Murray, March
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Hazard, Willian
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Chelsea get us underway at the Amex!
Chelsea win the ball deep inside the Brighton half and Kovacic has the chance to play Hazard in, but he puts too much on what was a relatively simple pass.
Chelsea have dominated the possession in the opening exchanges, but Brighton would have expected that. The hosts have Gross sticking close to Jorginho at all times.
SAVE! Hazard wins an early free kick for the visitors, and Luiz is not concerned about it being a long way out. He sends a dipping shot towards goal, but Ryan watches it all the way and gathers it in relatively routine fashion.
Good, battling play from Knockaert to win the ball back and then earn a free kick off Alonso. Brighton waste the resulting free kick, though.
Brighton are starting to grow into the game a bit themselves now. No chances to report in the opening 10 minutes, but the hosts will be relatively content with their start.
CHANCE! Half a chance for Brighton as Dunk picks out Murray over the top and the strike drops it back to March. The winger dips past one defender in the box before going for goal, but his effort is well blocked.
There have already been a couple of signs of frustration for Hazard already as players struggle to find him in that central striking position. Alonso is the latest to misplace a pass towards him.
CHANCE! Another chance is thwarted by a fine block as Dunk throws himself in the way of Alonso shot. Hazard's deft touch sent the full-back into the area, but Dunk was quick to react.
GOAL! BRIGHTON 0-1 CHELSEA (PEDRO)
GOAL! Chelsea find the breakthrough, and it is a lovely piece of play from Hazard which opens up the Brighton defence!
The Belgian sees an initial shot blocked, but he picks up the loose ball, drives into the box and then plays a delicious low pass across goal and into the six-yard box. Neither goalkeeper nor defender can get there, but Pedro can as he is left with an easy tap-in from close range.
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UPDATE: What a couple of minutes this is for Chelsea - Arsenal have just fallen behind against Southampton too! Danny Ings got the goal for the struggling Saints.
Brighton have not played badly in the opening quarter of this match, but that clinical moment of magic from Hazard is the difference between the two sides so far.
Here is that moment of Hazard brilliant, and Pedro's subsequent tap-in...
UPDATE: Southampton did not have the lead for long against Arsenal - the Gunners have levelled things up through Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Brighton continue to hold their own in this match, but they are struggling to make much of an impact in the final third at the moment. The majority of the game is being played in the middle third right now.
SAVE! Better from the hosts as March latches on to a loose ball deep inside the Chelsea half and goes for goal from 25 yards, but his low drive is well held by Kepa.
GOAL! BRIGHTON 0-2 CHELSEA (EDEN HAZARD)
GOAL! Hazard adds his own name to the scoresheet, but Brighton have really shot themselves in the foot here.
Balogun gives the ball straight to Willian, who then has the simple task of releasing Hazard clean through on goal. The Belgian easily streaks clear of Dunk and then gives the keeper the eyes to whip his finish into the bottom near corner.
Is that game over? It is a long way back for Brighton now, despite them not playing particularly badly so far. Chelsea have just been clinical in this first half.
The Belgian is enjoying life under Maurizio Sarri!
Chelsea now look in complete control of this match, and without create a huge amount of chances they still look like they could be on course for a big result here.
CHANCE! Big chance for a third as Willian's corner is met with a thumping header from Rudiger, who does almost everything right but powers it narrowly past the post.
Here is that Hazard goal, which really was a gift from Balogun by conceding possession there...
UPDATE: Big news from St Mary's as Southampton have regained the lead against Arsenal through Ings's second of the day!
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: BRIGHTON 0-2 CHELSEA
Just what Chelsea would have wanted - a comfortable first half and a cushioned lead against Brighton which leaves them surely on course for all three points.
Chelsea have dominated possession so far and deserve their advantage, although Brighton shot themselves in the foot for the second goal and can feel aggrieved that the first was not ruled out for offside.
The opening goal arrived after 17 minutes as Pedro broke the deadlock, but he had Hazard to thank for a brilliant piece of play to set up the chance.
The Belgian picked up a loose ball and drove into the box before playing a delightful low pass into the six-yard box for Pedro to tap in. However, replays showed that Alonso was in an offside position and appeared to interfere with play without touching the ball.
Hazard got his own name on the scoresheet to double Chelsea's advantage shortly after the half-hour mark, and this time it was a poor piece of play from Leon Balogun which gifted the visitors the goal.
The Brighton defender gave the ball straight to Willian, who was left with a simple pass through to release Hazard. From there the goal never looked in doubt, with Hazard giving the keeper the eyes and whipping his finish into the bottom corner.
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Aside from those two goals, clear chances have been few and far between - although Rudiger did power one header narrowly wide towards the end of the first half.
Brighton's only moment of any note in the attacking third saw March test Kepa with a long-range strike, but they need to show more in the final third in the coming 45 minutes.
KICKOFF: Brighton get us underway at the start of this second half!
Good move from Chelsea down the left channel to almost release Hazard to the byline again, but Willian's pass is just too heavy.
CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea to add a third! Azpilicueta's low cross into the box is begging for a touch, but Hazard seems to mis-time his finish and completely misses the ball. Montoya denies Willian a tap-in at the back post and then neither Kante nor Pedro can hook the ball goalwards.
Brighton respond as March reaches the byline before putting a low ball into the box, but it is too close to Kepa.
There are more goals in this one for Chelsea. They are not creating a huge number of chances, but they have been in the sort of clinical mood which means that they will not need too many to add to their advantage.
YELLOW CARD! No complaints here from Dunk as he scythes down Kovacic with a sliding challenge and goes into the book as a result.
UPDATE: Arsenal have equalised again at St Mary's as Henrikh Mkhitaryan gets his second of the game.
Risky play from Knockaert as he tries to dribble out from his own box, winning a free kick from Alonso.
BRIGHTON SUB: Change for the hosts here, and it is an interesting one as Murray is replaced by Florin Andone.
Less than half an hour remaining in this match now and from this point on it is all about game management from Chelsea here. They should not let this lead slip from here.
OFF THE POST! Chelsea almost put the game to bed in spectacular fashion as Alonso lets fly from range, but his brilliant strike crashes against the inside of the post with the keeper well beaten!
Almost a chance for the home side as March whips a deep corner to the back post with Balogun meets unmarked. He nods the ball back into a dangerous area, but there are no Brighton players there to convert!
GOAL! BRIGHTON 1-2 CHELSEA (SOLLY MARCH)
GOAL! Brighton do have their goal back as they give themselves hope late on!
Once more it is a cross to the back post which causes problems, with Bernardo the man this time to turn it back inside into the area. It bounces into the middle and March is on his toes to turn it home from close range!
CHELSEA SUB: Chelsea make a change in the wake of that goal as Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces Pedro.
That goal has really cranked up the volume levels inside the Amex. They believe that they can get something out of this game now!
YELLOW CARD! Andone goes into the book for a late challenge on Luiz.
Almost a chance for Chelsea at the other end as Loftus-Cheek dribbles into the box, but Dunk stretches out a leg and makes a crucial challenge.
That, by the way, was the first goal Brighton have scored against Chelsea since 1983, and only their second since 1967. Can they get another in the final 20 minutes or so?
CHELSEA SUB: Another change for Chelsea as Kovacic is replaced by Ross Barkley.
Painful one for Hazard here as Stephens stands right on the ankle of the Belgian. Hazard goes down in a heap, but it looks as though he will be fine to continue after a bit of treatment.
Barkley tries his luck as the ball drops to him just outside the area, but his effort is a long way high and wide of the target.
BRIGHTON SUB: The hosts make their second change as Yves Bissouma replaces Gross.
Crucial defending from Montoya as he comes darting in to cut out Loftus-Cheek low pass into the box after the Chelsea man had left two defenders on their backsides in the area with a lovely Cruyff turn.
CHELSEA SUB: A third and final change from Chelsea as Hazard - as things stand the match-winner - is replaced by Olivier Giroud.
BRIGHTON SUB: Brighton also make their final change as Jurgen Locadia replaces Knockaert.
Huge credit has to go to Andone since his introduction. He has put himself about up front and Chelsea's defenders have not been able to relax for one moment his he came on.
YELLOW CARD! Alonso is a lucky boy here! Bissouma threads a pass through for March, who would be in on goal but for Alonso blatant tug back. The referee only produces a yellow card, but that could have very easily been red.
SHOT! March fires the resulting free kick towards goal, but it is a long way over the crossbar.
YELLOW CARD! Kepa goes into the book for time-wasting.
There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.
CHANCE! Half a chance for Brighton late on as Dunk rises highest in the area, but he puts his header just wide of the target.
FULL TIME: BRIGHTON 1-2 CHELSEA
Brighton fall just short of a famous result as Chelsea hold on for all three points, which takes them three points clear in fourth too as Arsenal fell to a shock 3-2 defeat at the hands of Southampton.
Eden Hazard proved to be the difference in the end with an assist and a goal in the first half, but Brighton battled bravely in the second half and put pressure on after March had pulled a goal back.
Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Brighton and Chelsea as the visitors hold on for another victory over the Seagulls. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
Allow me also to point you in the direction of the big one today - Liverpool vs. Manchester United - live coverage of which is already underway.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
