Match ends, Chelsea 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.
ChelseaChelsea1BrightonBrighton & Hove Albion1
Substitute Danny Welbeck scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser for Brighton to deny Chelsea victory and deal a blow to their hopes of keeping pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea looked set to move three points clear of fellow title contenders Liverpool when Romelu Lukaku marked his first top-flight start for two months by giving his side a lead, which they held until the 91st minute.
Brighton carved out 18 chances in total at Stamford Bridge but looked set for disappointment before Welbeck met Marc Cucurella's chipped cross.
On a bad night for Chelsea, they also lost defenders Reece James and Andreas Christensen to injury.
They head into 2022 second in the table - one point above third-placed Liverpool, who they face on Sunday at Stamford Bridge (16:30 GMT).
But they trail Manchester City by eight points after Pep Guardiola's side won 1-0 at Brentford.
- Reaction to Wednesday's Premier League games
- Go to the Chelsea page
- Go to the Brighton & Hove Albion page
Chelsea blow it at the death
On what felt like a pivotal night in the title race, Chelsea closed 2021 - a year to remember thanks to their Champions League triumph - on a disappointing note.
The mood was upbeat when Lukaku scored for the second successive game.
After coming off the bench to inspire the Blues to victory at Aston Villa on Sunday, he marked his first league start since 16 October with a busy performance capped by his first-half header.
Yet Chelsea could not hold out for victory and have now dropped 11 points from their last eight league games, with three draws in their last four matches.
Another concern for Tuchel will be the mounting injuries, with England defender James, who limped off in the first half, and Denmark defender Christensen, who did not appear for the second half, joining the list of casualties.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (ankle) and Thiago Silva (hamstring) missed this game along with Ben Chilwell, who is to undergo surgery. In addition, Timo Werner has not played since 11 December after testing positive for coronavirus, while N'Golo Kante came off the bench despite suffering a knee injury against Villa.
With Chelsea facing six matches in the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup in January, they can ill afford any more absences among key players.
While the sight of Lukaku celebrating in front of Chelsea fans was pleasing for Tuchel, the German could now be forced to turn to the transfer window to ensure his side stays in the hunt for trophies.
Deserved point for battling Brighton
On 26 December, Brighton gave their fans a late Christmas present by breaking their 12-match winless run in all competitions with a 2-0 victory over Brentford.
And their travelling supporters were jubilant again after Welbeck's equaliser - the first time Brighton have scored at Stamford Bridge - sealed a thoroughly deserved point.
It was Welbeck's second Premier League goal against Chelsea, 11 years and 45 days since scoring on his first appearance against them in the competition in November 2010 for Sunderland.
Brighton, who end the calendar year in a solid 10th position in the table, looked set for disappointment as Adam Lallana, Yves Bissouma and Alexis Mac Allister were all denied by Edouard Mendy.
In addition, Jakub Moder clipped the roof of Chelsea's net and Neal Maupay also went close before Welbeck scored in front of Brighton's supporters.
It is their ninth draw in 18 league games, and the Seagulls head into 2022 in confident mood and with 10 more points than they had at this stage last season.
Player of the match
WelbeckDanny Welbeck
with an average of 8.48
Chelsea
Avg
- Squad number9Player nameLukakuAverage rating
6.37
- Squad number19Player nameMountAverage rating
6.28
- Squad number7Player nameKantéAverage rating
5.85
- Squad number16Player nameMendyAverage rating
5.67
- Squad number2Player nameRüdigerAverage rating
5.58
- Squad number28Player nameAzpilicuetaAverage rating
5.37
- Squad number24Player nameJamesAverage rating
5.37
- Squad number4Player nameChristensenAverage rating
5.25
- Squad number14Player nameChalobahAverage rating
5.24
- Squad number10Player namePulisicAverage rating
5.11
- Squad number8Player nameKovacicAverage rating
5.07
- Squad number20Player nameHudson-OdoiAverage rating
4.93
- Squad number3Player nameAlonsoAverage rating
4.84
- Squad number5Player nameJorginhoAverage rating
4.72
Brighton & Hove Albion
Avg
- Squad number18Player nameWelbeckAverage rating
8.48
- Squad number8Player nameBissoumaAverage rating
7.65
- Squad number3Player nameCucurellaAverage rating
7.58
- Squad number2Player nameLampteyAverage rating
7.48
- Squad number14Player nameLallanaAverage rating
7.14
- Squad number20Player nameMarchAverage rating
7.09
- Squad number33Player nameBurnAverage rating
7.07
- Squad number34Player nameVeltmanAverage rating
7.05
- Squad number10Player nameMac AllisterAverage rating
7.04
- Squad number17Player nameAlzateAverage rating
6.97
- Squad number1Player nameSánchezAverage rating
6.94
- Squad number12Player nameMwepuAverage rating
6.89
- Squad number15Player nameModerAverage rating
6.87
- Squad number9Player nameMaupayAverage rating
6.83
Line-ups
Chelsea
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 16Mendy
- 28Azpilicueta
- 4ChristensenSubstituted forChalobahat 45'minutes
- 2RüdigerBooked at 41mins
- 10Pulisic
- 8KovacicBooked at 58mins
- 5Jorginho
- 24JamesSubstituted forAlonsoat 27'minutes
- 19MountBooked at 81mins
- 20Hudson-OdoiBooked at 64minsSubstituted forKantéat 67'minutes
- 9Lukaku
Substitutes
- 1Arrizabalaga
- 3Alonso
- 7Kanté
- 14Chalobah
- 17Saúl
- 18Barkley
- 22Ziyech
- 29Havertz
- 31Sarr
Brighton
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 1Sánchez
- 34Veltman
- 33Burn
- 3Cucurella
- 2LampteySubstituted forMwepuat 66'minutes
- 14Lallana
- 8BissoumaBooked at 81mins
- 20March
- 15ModerSubstituted forAlzateat 88'minutes
- 10Mac AllisterSubstituted forWelbeckat 80'minutes
- 9Maupay
Substitutes
- 4Webster
- 12Mwepu
- 13Groß
- 17Alzate
- 18Welbeck
- 23Steele
- 24Duffy
- 30Richards
- 58Ferguson
- Referee:
- Mike Dean
- Attendance:
- 40,080
Match Stats
Home TeamChelseaAway TeamBrighton
- Possession
- Home48%
- Away52%
- Shots
- Home11
- Away18
- Shots on Target
- Home5
- Away6
- Corners
- Home10
- Away8
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away7
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Chelsea 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 1.
Goal!
Goal! Chelsea 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 1. Danny Welbeck (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Marc Cucurella with a cross.
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Joël Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Mason Mount (Chelsea).
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Foul by Steven Alzate (Brighton and Hove Albion).
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N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Steven Alzate replaces Jakub Moder.
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Attempt missed. Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner.
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Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Dan Burn.
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Attempt missed. N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Romelu Lukaku.
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Attempt missed. Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
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Attempt blocked. Joël Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Yves Bissouma.
Booking
Yves Bissouma (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card.
Booking
Mason Mount (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Offside, Chelsea. César Azpilicueta tries a through ball, but Romelu Lukaku is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Brighton and Hove Albion. Danny Welbeck replaces Alexis Mac Allister.
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Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Marc Cucurella.
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Attempt blocked. Mason Mount (Chelsea) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Attempt saved. Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mason Mount with a cross.
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Comments
Join the conversation
Brighton had more possession.
Brighton had more shots.
Brighton had more shots on target.
And it sounded like Brighton had more fans!
Lawros not having a good week is he?
Up The Albion!
Yet again drop points in games we should be done with at half time.
Played well until Lukaku scored then actually stopped trying until half way through the second half.
Brighton fully deserved the draw and probs will feel they should have won.
Some Chelsea players like Alonso really need to be shown the door.
Hudson odoi needs to add end product
Well done Albion, fully deserved point.