Brighton vs Chelsea: Five things we learned from the Blues' slick victory on the south coast

Chelsea returned to winning ways today with a slick 4-0 victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

Eden Hazard opened the scoring in the third minute while Willian double the visitors’ score three minutes later.

Brighton fought back, enjoying a number of chances on goal, and were notably denied two penalty appeals, but the hosts were ultimately unable to find a breakthrough.

Hazard went on to clinch his second, and Chelsea’s third, with an excellent solo strike in the 77th minute before Victor Moses wrapped up proceedings with one minute to spare.

Here are five things we learned:

After five consecutive draws since the turn of the year, Chelsea made the best possible start here at the Amex Stadium as they opened up a two-goal lead within six minutes. Both strikes were testament to what Antonio Conte’s players are capable of. Hazard’s lightning movement in the Brighton box gave him the space to get away his powerful shot while Willian’s goal, coming three minutes later, was the result of some sublime interlinking play between the Brazilian, Hazard and Michy Batshuayi outside the penalty area.

From there, the attacking trio terrorised the Brighton defence with their fluid, slick forward play. With a catalogue of tricks and flicks at their disposal, the three players set about clinically penetrating the Brighton defence. Had Chelsea taken their chances, the game would have been dead and buried long before the half-time whistle. The question that must be raised, though, is why the Blues can’t deliver this sort of attacking masterclass every game?

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Despite sealing Chelsea’s Premier League title last season with his winning goal at West Brom, Batshuayi’s spell at Stamford Bridge has been far from plain-sailing. With the club currently in the market for an alternative to Alvaro Morata, the Belgian’s future in west London has never looked so unclear as he continues to be linked with a January exit.

As such, his inclusion in today’s starting XI, with Morata unavailable due to suspension, was his big chance to prove his worth to Conte. But once again it was another game in which the Belgian blew hot and cold. His back-heel to set up Willian for Chelsea’s second was timed to perfection, highlighting his vision and impressive link-up play. Indeed, for much of Chelsea’s promising surges forward he was involved in the build-up in some way, either through a clever flick or well-weighted pass.

But, yet, there was still something missing. In the 40th minute, finding himself bearing down on goal, he had the option to play in Victor Moses to his right but opted to go it alone in a moment that gets to the crux of his troubles. His desire to score, and make a point, was understandable but smart decision-making is just as likely to be acknowledged by Conte. The penny has yet to drop for him but with more experience and game-time, the forward may come good. Whether or not Conte sees it this way remains to be seen.

Manager Chris Hughton had admitted on Thursday that it was vital his club reinforce their forward options. “Is a striker still the priority?” he asked. “I think it has to be. We have a competitive squad, but we have found it difficult to get the goals we need.” One day later Brighton had signed Jurgen Locadia for a club record £14.1m. As Tomer Hemed and Davy Pröpper’s headed efforts on goal showed, Brighton are capable of getting themselves into the right positions but, as the second-lowest scorers in the entire league, it’s clear to see the side are missing that ruthless edge up front. With nine goals from 15 goals in Eredivise, Locadia could be the man to turn Brighton’s fortunes around.

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With Thibaut Courtois sidelined with a minor injury, forgotten man Willy Caballero was drafted in for cover between the sticks. Despite his best efforts, though, it was a performance that reaffirmed the need to renew Courtois’ contract as soon as possible.

Compared to the Belgian’s composure and authority at the back, Caballero looked flustered and overzealous at times. His decision-making was questionable, with him being caught out after repeatedly choosing to rush from his line in an attempt to clear the ball. One such moment saw him down Ezequiel Schelotto in what should have been a penalty for the hosts, though referee Jonathan Moss thought otherwise.

Although he showcased his ability with an instinctive goal-line save to deny Hemed’s close-range header, followed by an important block on Schelotto’s second-half shot, there was a sense of confidence missing from his game which gave Brighton hope until the bitter end.

To their credit, this was a game in which Brighton refused to give up on – despite falling two goals behind in the opening six minutes. On a dreary, cold afternoon on the south coast, it would have been far easier to accept defeat but, instead, the hosts threw everything they had at Conte’s visitors.

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From the off, they troubled Chelsea’s back-line, enjoying particular success down the flanks and through numerous dangerous balls into the visitors’ box. Schelotto, in particular, proved to be a nuisance with his in-cutting runs and desire to chase down every opportunity. This sort of tenacity saw him twice felled in the Chelsea box, the first of which should have ended in a penalty following Caballero’s misjudged tackled. Beyond that, Proper came agonisingly close in the 50th minute when his headed attempt on goal struck the upright while, minutes latter, Schelotto was at it again only to be denied by Caballero’s block.

Brighton were by no means poor today but through a combination of profligacy, bad luck and Chelsea’s superior fire power up front, this was a game in which they were always unlikely to win.