Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter pointed out the mood of Stamford Bridge during his side’s Premier League clash against Chelsea yesterday.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw in South West London, Potter admitted that he felt a nervous aura omitting from the home supporters last night.
The Bridge feeling the burn from Brighton
The Brighton boss certainly gauged the feeling inside the stadium rather well.
Those wearing Chelsea colours did not experience an enjoyable evening for most parts of the match.
Having gone in front thanks to a Romelu Lukaku header just before the 30-minute mark, the Champions League holders struggled to keep a hold of the lead.
They faced a wave of pressure from the seasiders in the second half, with Edouard Mendy the much busier of the two goalkeepers.
Eventually, Brighton’s pressure paid off, as Danny Welbeck guided a header into the bottom corner 60 seconds into injury time.
“Throughout the game we asked some questions of Chelsea,” said Potter.
“They’ve got some top players but I thought we more than matched them and we put a lot into it.
“It’s nice for the boys to get something.
“We fought all the way until the end and you could tell by the crowd they weren’t so comfortable.
“When you come here you need a little bit of luck and they had a couple of opportunities to make it 2-0, but we defended well and while it’s 1-0 anything can happen.”
Wasteful Chelsea
Arguably the best chance for Chelsea to double their advantage fell at the feet of Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The young attacker gained possession inside his own half, then drove towards goal with acres of green grass ahead of him.
Mason Mount’s lung-busting run on the left meant the Blues had a two-on-one situation that should’ve been exploited.
Unfortunately, Hudson-Odoi failed to make a decisive decision and could only pick out the one Brighton body between himself and Mount.
Seagulls share the spoils
Boosted by their host’s inability to kill off the tie, the Seagulls sniffed out an opportunity to snatch a point.
And snatch a point they did, sending a small section of the Bridge into pandemonium.
Whilst Potter’s plucky group earned probably triple of what they expected from the fixture, Chelsea received a third of what they required in the race for the league title.
Manchester City pulled away even further at the top of the table, thanks to their 1-0 away win at Brentford on Wednesday.
Stamford Bridge must summon up some more feelings of positivity quickly when the Blues welcome Liverpool to the capital on Sunday.