Chelsea 1 Brighton 0: Nicolas Jackson becomes shoo-in for Blues Goal of the Month as Poch’s men finally break duck
NICOLAS JACKSON climbed off the naughty step to lift the gloom at Chelsea.
The Senegal international has been repeatedly told off by Mauricio Pochettino for picking up five bookings and a suspension in just six Premier League games.
But he was the hero here tonight, scoring Chelsea’s first goal in September to knock Brighton out of the Carabao Cup.
The Blues recovered from a chaotic first half to bring some much needed joy to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had to survive to calamitous mistakes from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and were lucky to keep all their players on the pitch before Mauricio Pochettino got a chance to fire up his men at the break.
But they made it through and looked transformed in the second half.
On top of having just five points in the Premier League, an early cup exit was the last thing needed in these parts.
Pochettino knew this was a competition that he should be targeting, a chance for a trophy and a route to Europe after plenty of recent trouble.
As if to emphasise Chelsea’s slump, Brighton – the club they have dished out so much money to in the last two years – came here with bigger fish to fry.
They have European football to contend with and, as it stands, more realistic dreams of finishing in the Premier League’s top four.
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Therefore it was Roberto De Zerbi who made more changes, seven in total compared to Pochettino’s five.
The former Tottenham manager is facing such a shortage through injury and suspension that, without a right-back to call upon, Marc Cucurella, one of four former Seagulls in the starting XI, was named on the wrong side of a back four.
Cucurella was one of three left-backs named by Pochettino, with Ben Chilwell back in his usual position and Ian Maatsen starting on the right wing.
Chelsea had their early chances, Mykhailo Mudryk drove a shot at Bart Verbruggen from the edge of the box.
But there was only one side playing anything like a ‘Big Six’ club early on – and it wasn’t the one with five Premier League titles in the trophy cabinet.
Neither had complete control but Brighton had dominated the ball and should have been ahead in the 24th minute.
Sanchez, another signed from Brighton, played a horror short ball straight to the feet of Joao Pedro.
The striker should have been more clinical but clipped an effort onto the roof of the net.
Chelsea were flirting with danger on the ball, playing rushed and erratic football at the back and Sanchez was again fortunate not to be punished.
His unwise ball to Moises Caicedo had the £115million man in all sorts of trouble and quickly pushed off the ball by his Brighton replacement, Carlos Baleba.
The ball fell for Ansu Fati who would have had his first Brighton goal with a better finish but just allowed Sanchez to tip wide.
Brighton could not take advantage of the chances they had forged, and soon started to lose their grip.
Mudryk started to make things happen for Chelsea on the brink of the break, driving into the box for his own chance before doing the same moments later and cutting back for Cole Palmer, who fired wide at the near post.
Chelsea could not get control and were lucky to stay with 11 men when Chimuanya Ugochukwu, having just been booked, lunged with his studs up at Baleba but escaped without even conceding a free-kick.
It was yet another slice of fortune to go the way of Pochettino’s side after Sanchez’s two errors, and they made the most of it shortly after the restart – playing with purpose at last.
Brighton had faded from their strong start, but Chelsea had struggled to take advantage – until they finally strung some passes together.
Caicedo found Maatsen, who had drifted in from the right. The full-back moved it quickly to Palmer, who shifted on the edge of the box and slipped in Jackson through the legs of Jan-Paul van Hecke.
Jackson raced into the space and finally, for the first time in the last 28 days, a Chelsea player found the back of the net, ensuring they did not end September without a single goal.
There was second half redemption for Sanchez too, making a fine save from Solly March’s powerful header to secure safe passage to the next round.
Jackson, who still has more than twice as many bookings than goals in his short Chelsea career, could have made it two shortly afterwards but was well stopped by Verbruggen before having another ruled out for offside.
As with anything at Chelsea this season, it was not a straightforward finish with Pervis Estupinian and Joao Pedro both going close late on.
But this was progress and the Blues have a performance to build on, as well as something for September’s goal of the month award.