Mauricio Pochettino claimed his second win as the new Chelsea manager after his side came from behind to defeat Brighton 4-3 in a thrilling pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Danny Welbeck put the Seagulls ahead early on, rifling the ball into the back of the net on the half-volley after combining with Kaoru Mitoma and former Chelsea star Billy Gilmour.
Roberto De Zerbi chose to leave Moises Caicedo out of his squad for the match after having told the Blues this week to stay away from his prized midfielder, amid their growing attempts to sign the £100million rated star.
Despite going down a goal down early on, the Blues would recover shortly after with new signing Christopher Nkunku netting his second goal in two games, flicking the ball in with a cute touch.
With the scores level at half-time, both sides would miss several opportunities to take the lead before the south coast side side went down to ten men.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Christopher Nkunku (pictured) scored to help Chelsea come back from going a goal down to defeat Brighton 4-3 in their pre-season friendly on Saturday night
Mauricio Pochettino (left) would claim his second win as the new Chelsea boss as his side played out a thrilling seven-goal thriller against Roberto De Zerbi’s (right) side
Mykhailo Mudryk (pictured) scored a sensational half-volley during the match to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead in the match
In a moment of recklessness, Jan paul van Hecke had stepped in to make a robust challenge on Cesare Casadei, just moments after receiving his first booking and was given his marching orders by referee Robert Jones.
The Blues would take advantage of their additional numbers moments after, with Mykhailo Mudryk belting in a simply sensational half-volley past the goalkeeper from outside the penalty area.
The sell-out crowd inside the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia were certainly treated to a thrilling game of football, with the Ukrainian forward combining in a very slick one-two move with Nicolas Jackson who impressed with the ball at his feet during the match.
Conor Gallagher added to the scores in the 72nd minute, before new signing Jackson would break free from the Brighton defence to score his first goal in a blue shirt, making it 4-1.
While Chelsea looked in control, De Zerbi’s side had other ideas with Levi Colwill conceding a penalty with Joao Pedro converting from the subsequent spot-kick.
And just as things seemed to be winding down, Pedro would produce a brilliant solo run along the left flank of the goal before finding Deniz Undav in the middle of the penalty area.
Jan Paul van Hecke (middle-right) would be sent off during the match after being shown two yellow cards
Conor Gallagher (pictured) also impressed for the Blues getting on the score sheet to make it 3-1
Joao Pedro (right) would lead a late comeback from the Seagulls, scoring from the spot before Deniz Undav followed suit, rifling a shot into the back of the net on the 89th minute
After the match, Pochettino (pictured) said he had plenty of positives to reflect on despite conceding three goals
The German would make no mistake with his shot, firing the ball into the right corner of the goal in the 89th minute to make it 4-3.
Holding out to Brighton’s late advances, Chelsea would ultimately go on to claim the second win of their pre-season campaign.
It was Pochettino’s second victory in charge of the club and after the match he insisted that while he was unhappy with the amount of goals his side conceded, there were many positives to take away from the game.
‘We are happy for the fans,’ he said. ‘Never happy when conceding goals, but it’s normal nearly three weeks into pre-season. I am happy and saw many positive things.’
De Zerbi had also claimed in the week that Brighton could offer Caicedo in a swap deal for Colwill, but after the match, Pochettino insisted that the defender was in his plans for the upcoming season.
‘We don’t need to say anything or make a statement,’ the Argentine manager added.
‘He is our player, and he is going to continue with us. He is a good player and did better than I expected. I am so happy with him, and he can become one of the greatest centre-backs in England.
‘He is going to be part of our team.’
Brighton will now take on Brentford on Wednesday with Pochettino’s side set to play Newcastle the day after.