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Key events
26 min: Veltman flies into a challenge on Cucurella but he’s late. The Brighton fans are loving it and Veltman picks up a yellow card for his troubles.
23 min: The key battle is between the former Chelsea player Tariq Lamptey and Pedro Neto. Brighton’s fullback has made a few strong tackles while Chelsea’s winger has twisted and turned dangerously.
17 min: Brighton are pressing Chelsea well. The home side aren’t going to roll over like they did against Nottingham Forest.
GOAL! Brighton 1-1 Chelsea (Rutter, 12)
There it is. Brighton are right back in this one. Brighton swing a cross into the box, which Robert Sánchez goes for but doesn’t collect. Joel Veltman receives the ball on the other side and whips in a delicious delivery to Georginio Rutter. The French forward guides the ball into the far corner with a glancing header. Game on!
9 min: Chelsea have started brightly. Enzo Maresca will surely be urging his side on to get a second. Too many times this season they’ve taken the lead and let the opposition back into the game.
3 min: Pedro Neto rolls his man expertly on the halfway line. Space opens up in front of him and he plays it out to Jadon Sancho. The pass is slightly behind him though, forcing the England winger to adjust his feet and lay the ball off to Cole Palmer. Chelsea’s talisman hits the ball first time and stings Bart Verbruggen’s hands.
GOAL! Brighton 0-1 Chelsea (Palmer, 4)
Who else? Cole Palmer scores for Chelsea. Chelsea win a corner and play it short with a routine from the training ground. After three passes, they play the ball to Palmer on the left who tries to pick out a teammate in the middle. The cross is too close to Bart Verbruggen who fumbles the ball and spills it into the net.
1 min: It’s settled then. The home fans are booing Sánchez and Marc Cucurella.
Kick off
Peep! Brighton are kicking from left to right in this all Premier League FA Cup tie.
The players are making their way out to the pitch. The Brighton fans are welcoming a few familiar faces, namely Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sánchez. What type of reception will they receive?
Here’s a message from Matt:
“Evening man, hope for your sake it’s a fun game.
The squad tonight is a clear endorsement of the Sporting Directors’ unerringly-forward-looking transfer policy and not at all the result of a bunch of overpaid gilet-wearers ego sparring over their respective signings. I think poor old Moises is going to have to cover a lot of ground.
Thanks in advance for all your hard work tonight, it’s very much appreciated.”
We’ve got a response from Jeff:
“Fair dos I suppose, but in November-December he seemed a certainty for player of the year accolades, even by my own untrained eye … Now not so much. Obviously he was carrying them then, when they were doing well, and is probably carrying them now, I guess the question is, is he now not carrying them quite so much? Or at least, has he developed a slouch. Please excuse me for this nonsense, have a good game pal!”
I hear you, Jeff. I think the players around him need to step up. It will be interesting to see how Christopher Nkunku performs in a rare start. Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho should also add a few goals to their tallies.
We’ve got mail from Jeff:
“Hullo Xaymaca! So Cole Palmer, are we allowed to say he’s gone off the boil yet?”
Palmer’s been quieter than usual in his last couple of games. Quiet for Palmer is two goals in five games and a decisive cross-shot in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over West Ham on Monday. Let’s see how he performs today.
The teams
Brighton: Verbruggen, Lamptey, Dunk, Georginio, Minteh, Welbeck, Baleba, Mitoma, Van Hecke, Veltman, Hinshelwood
Subs: McGill, Webster, Gruda, João Pedro, Adingra, Cashin, Gómez, Ayari, O’Riley
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Tosin, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, Palmer, Sancho, Nkunku
Subs: Jorgenson, Colwill, Anselmino, Acheampong, Samuels-Smith, Amougou, Fernández, George, Madueke
Today’s FA Cup results
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Coventry 1-4 Ipswich
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Everton 0-2 Bournemouth
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Leeds 0-2 Millwall
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Leyton Orient 1-2 Man City
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Southampton 0-1 Burnley
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Wigan 1-2 Fulham
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Stoke City 3-3 Cardiff City (Cardiff won 4-2 on pens)
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Wigan Athletic 1-2 Fulham
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Preston North End 0-0 Wycombe Wanderers (Preston North End won 4-2 on pens)
Birmingham City v Newcastle United is 2-2 at St Andrews.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Brighton v Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round. Tonight’s game is the first of a Brighton v Chelsea double bill at the Amex Stadium, with the two sides facing each other again in the league on Valentine’s day.
The home side will be keen to bounce back after their humiliating 7-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in the league. The Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler said: “We still think we are on a good path and one game shouldn’t define our season or our whole team.”
Brighton will need a big performance to beat Chelsea. Chelsea have won their last four games against the club, starting in September 2023 after the Clearlake Capital consortium spent £225 million on Brighton players and coaching staff. Chelsea haven’t looked entirely convincing as of late, scraping past West Ham in their last league game, so tonight’s match is an intriguing one.
Stay tuned for updates. Kick off is at 8pm. Email me your predictions.
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