Brighton & Hove Albion secured a well-deserved 2-1 victory at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, thanks to a magnificent goal scored by substitute Julio Enciso.
Frank Lampard, who recently took over as the interim manager until the end of the season, made his first appearance at Stamford Bridge. His team managed to break their four-game goal drought when Conor Gallagher scored in the 13th minute with a shot that deflected off Lewis Dunk, resulting in a decisive goal.
In the first half, Brighton dominated play, with Evan Ferguson hitting the crossbar and Alexis Mac Allister and Kaoru Mitoma going close. Kepa Arrizabalaga made a magnificent save to deny Mitoma. Chelsea's Conor Gallagher managed to score in the 13th minute, with his shot deflecting off Brighton's Lewis Dunk.
Danny Welbeck scored for Brighton in the second half, leveling the score after Pascal Gross' cross from the right was converted by Evan Ferguson's replacement. In the second half, Brighton continued to dominate the game. Julio Enciso, a Paraguayan teenager, scored his second Premier League goal for Brighton with a sensational strike from almost 30 yards, securing a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
Chelsea vs Brighton final score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| CHE | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| BRI | 1 | 1 | 2 |
By the time Gallagher scored fortuitously, Ferguson and Mac Allister both missed very good chances and the Republic of Ireland striker rattled the crossbar as Mitoma tormented Chelsea right-back Chalobah.
But Roberto De Zerbi had a problem with another livewire winger he knows well. The ex-Shakhtar Donetsk boss said he hoped Mykhailo Mudryk wouldn't start and the much-maligned Ukraine international offered a timely reminder of his quality. Joel Veltman was booked for an almost impressively scruffy foul, where he eventually brought Mudryk down with his upper back.
Injury meant Veltman did not see the half-hour. On came Enciso to add extra verve to a Brighton attack already brimming with creative intent. So much so, playmaker Pascal Gross was able to drop into right-back, masterfully dictate forward play and set up Welbeck's equaliser.
A career attacking midfielder marking the most dangerous opposition attacker should be a shrieking klaxon of a problem. But not for this Brighton team. They are so wonderfully in step with their manager and each other that it was an opportunity to be even more irresistible with the ball and launch another breakout Premier League star for good measure.
Get to know Julio Enciso: Brighton's rising star
Brighton signed 18-year-old forward Julio Enciso from Paraguayan club Libertad for around £9.5m on a four-year deal. He had scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 17 games for Libertad in 2022 and was a regular in the Paraguay national squad.
Brighton manager Graham Potter expressed his excitement for Enciso's potential and said the club would help him adapt to his new surroundings. De Zerbi, Brighton's assistant coach, spoke of Enciso's progress since the mid-season break and he scored his first Premier League goal as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth earlier this month.
Although he is yet to start a top-flight game in England, it's only a matter of time as he continues to impress. Enciso's early performances showed he was a box of tricks, but raw in terms of end product, which has since improved. He will complement Brighton's existing attacking options this coming season as the club looks forward to developing and working with him.
Mudryk shines as Sterling and Pulisic toil
In the match between Chelsea and Brighton, the only positive for Chelsea was Mudryk's early criticism of Veltman. Despite working hard like they did in their midweek match against Madrid, Chelsea was outplayed by Brighton. The £89m winger was responsible for Gallagher's goal, but as Brighton started to dominate, he struggled to create chances and became increasingly erratic. Chelsea's highly priced forward line is an easy target for criticism, but they can only do so much when their teammates spend most of the game chasing the opposition.
Christian Pulisic had a chance to score when he headed against the post, but the offside flag was raised. Apart from that, he was not involved in the game, and Raheem Sterling also missed a first-half header. The latter was also subjected to criticism from a vocal Chelsea fan after being substituted.
The introduction of Joao Felix and Hakim Ziyech couldn't change Chelsea's fortunes, as they failed to find the back of the net, much like Kai Havertz in their previous match against Madrid. The absence of a dependable centre-forward meant that Chelsea's attackers were stuck in an unproductive rotation. While Mudryk received some praise for his early analysis, he will likely face criticism again in the near future. All in all, it was a disappointing and frustrating performance for Chelsea.
