The Blues’ title chase is all but over after they were held at Brighton on Tuesday night. Thomas Tuchel’s men are now at risk of being dragged into a top-four battle with rivals Arsenal, West Ham United, and Tottenham breathing down their necks.
Brighton came from behind to hold Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium. Having claimed just three wins since November, Tuchel’s men bid farewell to their title hopes at the South Coast.
Issues that have plagued Chelsea following injuries to both their first-choice wingbacks – Ben Chilwell and Reece James – returned on Tuesday night. Despite changing the formation to a four-at-the-back, Chelsea failed to stamp their authority for much of the first half, and Romelu Lukaku was left isolated up top again.
However, Chelsea did take the lead in the 28th minute with a big slice of luck as Hakim Ziyech’s shot from outside the box deflected off Alexis Mac Allister and squeezed inside Robert Sanchez’s near post. Callum Hudson-Odoi could have put his side two goals ahead on the stroke of half-time, but the youngster shot wide from a promising position.
Seconds after the restart, Danny Welbeck spurned a similar opportunity from a dangerous position; the Englishman had scored a late equalizer when these two sides met three weeks ago but couldn’t repeat his feat this time around.
Mac Allister came close, too, in the 60th minute, when his shot deflected off Jorginho and looped goalwards but was clawed away by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Brighton were rewarded for their persistence from the corner that followed as Adam Webster shrugged off his marker to power a header home.
Chelsea went in search of a winner in the final half-hour but failed to create any clear-cut opportunities – and were left to rue more dropped points. The Blues have now played at least one more game than all the other teams in the division and are at risk of finding themselves in a top-four battle when they return from FIFA Club World Cup duties in late February.
