Chelsea dropped yet another points, this time on the road, as after going ahead early in the first half against Brighton, in their first game of 2020, Frank Lampard side allowed Brighton back into the game to equalize and all points shared. The game which started well for the visitors, was settled by the spectacular overhead kick from Alireza Jahanbakhsh, giving Brighton their first point against Chelsea in ten meetings.
The result on Wednesday 1st January 2020, to Chelsea and their fans was a shocking result, and showed yet again, that the bench led by Frank Lampard are still struggling to fix the problem that has seen them lose points from a winning position, especially in games where they have dominated possession. But kudos to Brighton, as they showed much hunger in the second half, pressing higher and putting more pressure on the Chelsea defence, and the result was the 84th equalizer from Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Speaking after the game, Alireza Jahanbakhsh who was awarded the Man of the Match award, said he is excited to have scored, saying:
“When I was about to go on, I had a feeling I could have an impact on the game,”
“When I saw the ball, I just tried to hit it as hard as I could and the bicycle kick was the only option. I’m going to watch it a couple more times.
“It has been a really tough time for me. I have been training well and working hard to get my chance. Luckily, it has gone the way I wanted.
“2019 didn’t go as well as I wanted. I tried to end the year as well as I could and I’ve started 2020 in the best way possible.”
Frank Lampard speaking after the game, had this to say about his team, and dropping more points:
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard:“It was frustrating for different reasons.
“In the first half, the game was there to be won. We weren’t ruthless enough. We got the goal and we had the possession, but we just didn’t kill the game off.
“We allowed them to stay in the game. In the end it was a wonder goal but we were lucky not to lose the game.
“In the end, the tactics matched up for both teams but they were better than us. We have to take that on the chin.
“[The lack of consistency] is a concern. It’s something we absolutely have to look at.
“We have to look at the game today. It’s a point, but I’m not happy with the performance.”
Brighton manager Graham Potter: “I thought our play was really brave and we got our reward.
“Everyone is delighted for Jahanbakhsh. He’s worked so hard and waited so long, and to have his freshness off the bench was the thinking and he popped up with a great strike.
“He’s had to be patient, but he’s got qualities and he’s getting his reward.
“I’m really proud of the performance. We need to carry that forward and get some more points.”