Four Chelsea stars prove a point as Brighton win lifts pressure on Pochettino
In pictures: Chelsea v Brighton
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup fourth round with a statement victory after beating Brighton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to ease the pressure on head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The two teams had played out a closely-fought first half with the deadlock yet to be broken with questions to be answered if the Blues could end their long wait for a goal. But their £32million signing Nicolas Jackson, excellent throughout, made the difference with a low finish five minutes after the break to fire the west London club into the next round. Express Sport looks at the four players who shone for the hosts and proved a point to Pochettino.
Nicolas Jackson
There aren’t many strikers in Europe who have missed more clear-cut chances than Jackson this season, but he soon silenced his doubters after bagging his second Stamford Bridge goal. The Senegalese had endured a frustrating evening up to the point that Palmer found him 15 yards out, and he made no mistake with a sweeping finish to put Chelsea in front.
Whatever could be said about the 22-year-old, there is definitely no lack of endeavour or passion in his game. He might have landed himself in hot water with his manager after receiving a suspension for picking up a fifth booking of the season against Aston Villa, but Pochettino will be bowing down to his striker for finding the back of the net.
Had the chance for a second after a poked through ball from Mudryk and there was nothing wrong with the low finish as he opened his body, but Bart Verbruggen made a smart stop with his feet to deny him a second.
READ MORE Mauricio Pochettino sends clear message to Chelsea owners and Nicolas Jackson[REACTION]
Cole Palmer
Manchester City have benefited hugely from Chelsea’s decision to discard Kevin De Bruyne too early in his career. But with Palmer, is it City who are guilty of a colossal mistake this time? Based on his cameo against Aston Villa and this impressive display, he could prove to be the one that got away from Pep Guardiola.
The £40million signing was a surprise addition to the squad, even if his bright cameos for the English champions showed some promise. But with a start from Pochettino in the No 10 role, he thrived with the shackles off as he glided with the ball and unlocked the Brighton defence. His nutmeg on Igor Julio would have made De Bruyne stand up in praise himself.
Palmer was heavily applauded as he was replaced by Enzo Fernandez on 75 minutes and if he doesn’t start against Fulham on Monday, Pochettino might need have some explaining to do to the club’s owners after a wonderful night for the 20-year-old.
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Mykhaylo Mudryk
Mudryk had the chance to go down after a rash challenge from Igor Julio, but the 22-year-old stayed on his feet. Perhaps a Mohamed Salah or Bukayo Saka would have gone down and won the penalty, and that’s where Mudryk needs to develop a win-at-all-costs attitude, because Chelsea demand it. But it showed exactly what he can do when given the space to run into behind the defence.
Even a player with the pace of Tariq Lamptey struggled to keep Mudryk quiet as he used his blistering speed to set himself free down the left. Just before the hour mark, Mudryk responded to a terrible free-kick delivery by chasing down Van Hecke in his own area and the Chelsea fans loved it.
He was replaced with 67 minutes on the clock and as he trudged off, the fans rose from their seats to applaud him with a standing ovation. Slowly but surely, the Ukrainian is endearing himself to the home supporters after a tough first nine months in west London – and it’s surely only a matter of time before his first competitive goal arrives.
Marc Cucurella
Reports suggested Chelsea had tried to offload Cucurella for half the price they paid for him only a year ago in the summer transfer window. And then, on deadline day, his loan move to Manchester United fell through. On this evidence, Chelsea will be glad they weren’t successful in flogging him.
The 25-year-old has barely featured for Pochettino at all as he looked for a move away, but a strange move to right-back could mark the start of his redemption. His challenges were aggressive, he chased after players and forced them back. Chelsea must’ve been wondering where this fired-up character has been for the last 14 months, given his rather feeble displays since his £62m move from Brighton.
Maybe the identity of the opposition gave him the extra motivation to prove he is no big-money flop. With more first-team chances, he could yet salvage his Stamford Bridge career, even if he has a long way to go to win over doubtful Chelsea supporters.
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