Brighton & Hove Albion 0-4 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points

Chelsea notched up their first win of 2018 at the Amex Stadium
Chelsea notched up their first win of 2018 at the Amex Stadium

Antonio Conte's Chelsea responded to a barren run of recent results, that saw the Blues being held to a club-record three consecutive 0-0 draws in the Premier League, with a thumping 4-0 win away from home against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Chelsea started the game in scintillating fashion and were already 2-0 up within the first six minutes when Eden Hazard's opening goal was followed up by a beautiful and incisive move that resulted in Willian finding the back of the net.

The hosts responded to the early blow positively and caused a few problems to Willy Caballero in goal but they could not muster any significant output from the same.

Second half goals from Hazard and Victor Moses ensured that Chelsea registered their first win since the turn of the year and the result now means that the champions have moved up to 3rd position in the table above Liverpool, who are scheduled to play Swansea tomorrow night.

Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the five key talking points from the game:


#5 Caballero rides on his luck to keep a clean sheet on debut

Caballero managed to see off the Brighton threat
Caballero managed to see off the Brighton threat

An ankle injury to Thibaut Courtois meant that Conte had to turn to Chelsea's midweek penalty shootout hero and second-choice goal-keeper Willy Caballero to hold the mantle at the back for the visitors on the night. The Argentine had a nervy start to the game and his positioning and decision making was quite bizarre on a few instances in the first half.

Caballero, who made his first Premier League appearance of the season, was also involved in an incident that could have easily been given as a penalty to Brighton after replays suggested that he tripped Ezequiel Schelotto inside the penalty area.

Brighton continued to put pressure on Chelsea and Caballero was called into action yet again when he was forced to make a stunning save from close range to deny Tomer Hemed. Caballero managed to keep a clean sheet on his league debut for Chelsea but the manner in which he did it was far from convincing.

#4 Brighton need goals

Locadia was in attendance for the Chelsea game
Locadia was in attendance for the Chelsea game

Goals have been hard to come by for Chris Hughton's men this season and as a result of the same, they find themselves in 16th position despite conceding the fewest number of goals in the bottom half of the table, in the build-up to this game.

Brighton's problems in front of goal have been prevalent for some time now and they were quick to seek reinforcements in the form of Jurgen Locadia formerly of PSV.

The Dutchman joined the Seagulls for a club record fee of £14 million and was given a standing ovation when he was introduced to the fans right before kick-off. Locadia's goal tally in the Eredivisie isn't that bad and he will have to fire on all cylinders if Brighton are to survive the scramble for relegation.

However, things aren't as easy as it sounds and Brighton will have to wait until next month to hand him a debut due to a hamstring problem picked up by the player before the move.

#3 Chelsea end stalemate run

Conte will be delighted with the result
Conte will be delighted with the result

Since the turn of the year, the champions have not had a lot to be happy about. Chelsea have been struggling recently and the fact that this is only their first win of 2018 (in regular time) speaks volumes about the kind of run they were on over the past couple of weeks.

In the lead up to the game, Conte was under immense pressure after the Blues had endured a sticky spell which saw them being held to three consecutive 0-0 draws in the league for the first time in the club's history.

Despite losing out on a few key players due to injuries and suspension, Chelsea did not let that get into their heads and were off the block in some fashion as they carved out the Brighton defence in the first few minutes itself.

Chelsea have allowed teams around them to get close due to their poor performances and the gap between them and Pep Guardiola's runaway leaders look all the more daunting now. However, there is still plenty to play for and Conte will be looking to rally his troops in the right direction.

#2 Scoreline doesn't do justice to Brighton's fighting spirit

Brighton refused to let the early lead blow them away
Brighton refused to let the early lead blow them away

Given how Chelsea started the game, it felt like they would stroll home comfortably with the three points on their outing at the seaside in Saturday's early kick-off. The visitors were ruthless while going forward early on and it almost seemed like their attackers had a telepathic connection between them, which was evident in Chelsea's second goal.

However, Brighton refused to give up on the result and kept pushing and poking to try and claw their way back into the game. The Seagulls continued to push forward and would feel that they were unlucky to be not awarded a penalty that would've helped their cause more than anything.

Brighton's dismal record of not winning a league game against Chelsea in 85 years continued as the Blues added a couple more goals in the second half but it is safe to say that the scoreline was misleading at least in terms of the effort put in by both teams.

#1 Eden Hazard, a thing of beauty!

Hazard handing over his shirt to a young fan
Hazard handing over his shirt to a young fan

When he gets going, there is no stopping him and Hazard proved it yet again as he tormented the Brighton defenders at will on the night. Chelsea's creator-in-chief was at the heart of everything that they conjured up on the night and even bagged two goals for himself in typical fashion.

The Belgian effortlessly floated in and around Brighton's final third, wrecking havoc every single time he had the ball at his feet. Having played the full ninety minutes, Hazard handed over his shirt to a young Brighton fan as per the latter's request at the end of the game.

Hazard continues to be the driving force behind Chelsea's results and it remains to be seen if they can keep hold of their star-man with the inevitable offer from Real Madrid being in transit for quite some time now.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith