Conor Gallagher receives marching orders. Photo: Getty Images/Jacques Feeney -5412-4807-9ce3-1bef26a1a8f2.html?direct=true&id=42223b26-5412-4807-9ce3-1bef26a1a8f2' class='tmg-particle sport-widget wrp-42223b26-5412-4807-9ce3-1bef26a1a8f2 ' name = 'Match Brief description: Chelsea vs Brighton & Hove Albion data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no'frameborder='0' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>
Chelsea can at least lay claim to top of the table this season, but the lead in yellow and red cards at this rate will send head coach Mauricio Pochettino Gray to the curb.
Returning to the touchline after his own suspension, Pochettino watched the Chelsea captain blush for the second week in a row, but this time his 10-man side almost managed to take all three points.
Just a few weeks ago, Pochettino showed his hair on his chest in a pre-match press conference to prove his dark hair is completely natural, but it won't be long before he goes completely grey, unless Chelsea's discipline improves — although he subsequently insisted he admired his players' fighting spirit .
Pochettino himself intervened at the final whistle as both sets of players clashed and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi approached referee Craig Pawson and his officials. Particularly worried were Adam Lallana, former Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Levi Colville, who spent last season on loan at Amex.
Mauricio Pochettino objects to Pascal Gross and Levi Colville intervenes as things get tense after the final whistle. Photo: Reuters/Dylan Martinez
Both managers played down the ongoing disagreements, with De Zerbi saying he «congratulated» Pawson, whose decisions he declined to comment, and Pochettino saying: «It's football, it's emotional. This is our normal reaction and Brighton’s reaction. We all started talking in the middle, the referee was there, I came over to talk and I wanted to talk and «oh why are you pushing me» and it led to a huge confusion.»
At least Pochettino's character wanted to watch after Newcastle's capitulation became clear as Chelsea clung to 10 men who nearly let Brighton through in stoppage time.
Last week it was Reece James got two stupid yellow cards and against Brighton Conor Gallagher got two yellow cards in the first half which put Chelsea in trouble.
Gallagher captained the team in James' absence. , who had already served a suspension while injured earlier this season for insulting referees in the defeat to Aston Villa.
But as James has done on several occasions, Gallagher lost his head and received two yellow cards in 14 minutes , as Chelsea rolled back.
His first yellow card for a foul on Facundo Buonanotta came shortly after Colville had given Chelsea a two-goal lead. And then, two minutes after Buonanotte pulled the goal back for the visitors, Gallagher earned a second yellow card for a stupid challenge on Billy Gilmour.
Pochettino questioned the sending off but praised the character of his team, which he urged his players to demonstrate during a team talk at half-time.
“It was not a removal, this is my opinion. . “Maybe I’m wrong,” Pochettino said. “This is the period, this happens. After Newcastle we were a little more aggressive. We needed to show our real colors. We wanted to play well, be aggressive and show that we care. We wanted to win the game. I think the team was really good. The crowd was proud.
“I’m so proud of the players and the character they showed. At half-time I told them: «OK, the score is 2-1 in our favor, but I'm glad it turned out this way because this is a great opportunity for us, this is a huge challenge, come on, now we need to show that we are a team.» team. This will improve us.”
Pochettino noted that Tottenham sent off two players against his side earlier this season, but Chelsea's disciplinary record is the worst in the league. Nicholas Jackson has as many yellow cards as goals (seven) and has already served his suspension. Moises Caicedo and goalscorer Enzo Fernandez collected bookings, meaning they were just one yellow card away from suspension, like Raheem Sterling.
Chelsea were on course for a comfortable day before Gallagher was sent off, thanks to goals from Fernandes, his first league goal, and Colville, his first for the home team.
Both goals were headed, with Fernandes nodding in from close range after Benoit Badiashile made a good cross and Colville converted Jackson's header from Gallagher's corner. Gilmour tried to head Colville's shot but the ball crossed the line.
Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele made a fine save from his man Carlos Baleba before Buonanotte reduced Chelsea's lead by cutting past Colville and heading home. A perfect left-footed shot past Robert Sanchez.
With just over an hour left in the match, De Zerbi made four changes for Brighton, bringing on Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro, Pascal Gross and James Milner. However, the change backfired as Milner's first contribution was a missed penalty which saw Fernandes restore Chelsea's two-goal lead.
A fine move from Sterling and Jackson sent Mikhail Mudrik through on goal and he fired wide. . down under Milner's challenge attempt. Referee Pawson did not initially award a penalty, but did so after Var sent it to the screen and Fernandez scored.
Another Brighton substitute, Pedro, saved with a header from a corner in the second minute of the 10 minutes added on for stoppages to set up a nervy finale in which Brighton were wrongly awarded a penalty by referee Pawson, only for Ware to check to show that the ball clearly hit Colville in the head and not in the hand.
Brighton players Pascal Gross and Jan Paul van The Hecks speak to referee Craig Pawson at the final whistle. Photo: Getty Images/Mike Hewitt
The moment sparked a post-match pushing contest involving Colville, Pochettino and Sanchez, who walked off the pitch waving to the visiting Brighton fans who had been chanting obscenities at him all day.
Given that it was With only Chelsea's fourth home league win in 2023, Stamford Bridge fans won't be too worried about how It came. But Pochettino must hope his team stops making life difficult for themselves — if only because of the color of his hair.
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