Brighton 3-0 Chelsea: Player ratings as Mitoma & Minteh lead south coast romp
- Kaoru Mitoma scored a spectacular opener for Brighton
- Yankuba Minteh nabbed two goals himself
- Brighton defeat Chelsea for the second time in the space of six days
Brighton & Hove Albion romped to a convincing 3-0 victory at home to Chelsea on Friday night.
"Can we play you every week," the home crowd jeered throughout this weeknight fixture. The jubilant hosts were worthy winners six days after easing to a 2-1 FA Cup victory against the same opponent on the same ground.
Kaoru Mitoma broke the deadlock with a sensational opener. Bart Verbruggen's long punt forward came out of the sky with frost on it but was met with a peerless first touch from the Japanese forward, killing the ball dead as it dropped over his shoulder and onto his laces. Most of the AMEX still had their mouth agape while Mitoma picked out the bottom corner.
Yankuba Minteh doubled the hosts' lead in the 38th minute, failing to replicate his teammate's staggering technical feat but managing to beat Filip Jorgensen all the same.
Chelsea dramatically altered their system during the break but to no avail - if anything, they got even worse. Minteh added his second of the night and Brighton's third shortly after the hour mark with a crisp finish, but there was ample opportunity for the hosts to rack up an embarrassing scoreline as the Blues unravelled before their eyes.
In the end, 3-0 was enough for Brighton to claim a second successive victory in this spiky rivalry, sending them up to eighth in the Premier League table while Chelsea remain precariously perched in the top four.
Brighton player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Player | Ratings |
|---|---|
GK: Bart Verbruggen | 7.9/10 |
RB: Joel Veltman | 7.4/10 |
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke | 7.1/10 |
CB: Adam Webster | 7.5/10 |
LB: Tariq Lamptey | 6.7/10 |
CM: Jack Hinshelwood | 7.0/10 |
CM: Carlos Baleba | 7.6/10 |
AM: Georginio Rutter | 6.4/10 |
RW: Yankuba Minteh | 9.3/10 |
ST: Danny Welbeck | 8.2/10 |
LW: Kaoru Mitoma | 8.2/10 |
SUB: Joao Pedro (73' for Rutter) | 5.8/10 |
SUB: Diego Gomez (74' for Hinshelwood) | 6.2/10 |
SUB: Matt O'Riley (84' for Baleba) | N/A |
SUB: Yasin Ayari (84' for Welbech) | N/A |
SUB: Simon Adingra (89' for Minteh) | N/A |
Subs not used: Carl Rushworth (GK), Eiran Cashin, Brajan Gruda, Mats Wieffer.
Chelsea player ratings (4-3-3)
Player | Rating |
|---|---|
GK: Filip Jorgensen | 5.0/10 |
RB: Malo Gusto | 5.9/10 |
CB: Trevoh Chalobah | 6.1/10 |
CB: Levi Colwill | 6.2/10 |
LB: Marc Cucurella | 6.0/10 |
DM: Moises Caicedo | 5.7/10 |
CM: Cole Palmer | 6.5/10 |
CM: Enzo Fernandez | 5.8/10 |
RW: Noni Madueke | 6.2/10 |
ST: Christopher Nkunku | 6.0/10 |
LW: Pedro Neto | 6.1/10 |
SUB: Jadon Sancho (21' for Madueke) | 6.2/10 |
SUB: Reece James (65' for Gusto) | 6.6/10 |
SUB: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (66' for Caicedo) | 5.9/10 |
SUB: Tyrique George (66' for Neto) | 6.6/10 |
Subs not used: Robert Sanchez (GK), Aaron Anselmino, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Mathis Amougou.
Player of the match - Yankuba Minteh (Brighton)
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