Midfield
CM – Andrey Santos – 3/10 – it was the Brazilian’s mistake in possession that led to Chalobah’s red card.
CM – Moises Caicedo – 7/10 – the 23-year-old won his tackles and was the dominant figure in midfield before the sending off.
AM – Enzo Fernandez – 7/10 – had a very bright first half, having an early freekick saved before scoring the opener with a trademark late run into the box. Struggled more after the break when Brighton started to dominate.
Forwards
RW – Estevao – 5/10 – had a very good start to the game, with a shot and a few lively runs, but he will need to add an end product.
CF – Joao Pedro – 5/10 – linked up play well early on but he struggled to get the better of Brighton centre-back pairing Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke.
LW – Pedro Neto – 4/10 – apart from one shot that he dragged wide, the Portuguese international flattered to deceive once again.
Substitutes
Josh Acheampong – 4/10 – was caught ball-watching as Welbeck scored the equaliser with a bullet header.
Malo Gusto – 3/10 – failed to close down the cross for Welbeck’s equaliser and could have given away a penalty as well.
Benoit Badiashile – 5/10 – replaced Hato for the final 10 minutes but couldn’t stop Brighton from scoring two goals.
Romeo Lavia – 5/10 – the midfielder made his comeback after several months out injured.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
