Chelsea starts the season with a win at Brighton
Chelsea got their Premier League season started with a 3-1 away win against Brighton on the return of Monday night football as new boys Timo Werner and Kai Havertz made their debuts.
Despite Chelsea making a number of marquee signings so far this summer, only the German pair were match ready for the trip to the Amex Stadium. Werner was particularly impressive on his first competitive Chelsea appearance as he won a penalty in the 21st minute after Matt Ryan swiped at his legs. Jorginho, however, dispatched clinically to put Chelsea ahead.
Brighton have also done well to recruit and strengthen themselves in the transfer window thus far. They had their fair share of chances during the game and posed Chelsea a lot of problems.
Watch the match highlights below…
https://youtu.be/WKl8ineApqM
They levelled deservedly 9 minutes into the second half as Leandro Trossard fired home from long range, calling Kepa Arrizabalaga’s ability to deal with long-range strikes into question once again called.
But Chelsea restored their advantage less than two minutes later as Reece James scored his first Premier League goal in astounding fashion. Kurt Zouma then ensured Brighton wouldn’t stage a comeback as he scored Chelsea’s third of the game.
The victory marks a successful start for Frank Lampard’s new-look side – whose last two title wins have started with victory on a Monday evening – while Brighton will feel like they deserved something from the encounter.
Related: Match Report: Arsenal’s new recruits dazzle on the opening day as Fulham loses at home 0-3
The brilliant goal from Reece James, however, was the highlight of a stuttering display from Chelsea, who seemed inferior to Brighton for much of a 3-1 victory at the Amex Stadium despite parading a host of quality players on the night.
The hosts were let down by carelessness in both penalty boxes, conceding a penalty early on and Dunk missing a glorious opportunity on the other end.
Brighton will want to forget the defeat as quickly as possible as they begin their Carabao Cup campaign in midweek when they face Portsmouth on Thursday before then making a trip to Newcastle on Sunday.
Chelsea, however, will take on Premier League champions, Liverpool on Sunday.
Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)
- Brighton have won just one of their 10 home Premier League games in 2020 (D4 L5), the fewest of any side to have played two or more home matches in the competition this calendar year.
- Chelsea have scored each of their last 16 penalties in the Premier League since Eden Hazard missed from the spot against Man City in April 2017.
- Since he joined Chelsea in 2018, Kepa Arrizabalaga has conceded more Premier League goals from outside the box (19) than any other goalkeeper. Indeed, excluding blocked shots, Kepa has conceded nine of the last 13 overall shots on target he has faced in the Premier League.
- This victory earned Chelsea their 2,000th point in the Premier League (1,077 games), making them the third side to reach that total since the competition began in 1992, after Manchester United (2,234) and Arsenal (2,014).
- Since the start of last season, Chelsea’s 20 away Premier League games have produced 81 goals (42 for, 39 against), at least 14 more than any other side on their travels.
- Jorginho has scored all eight of the penalties he has taken for Chelsea in all competitions (excluding shootouts), including five in the Premier League.
- Leandro Trossard has scored three goals in his past six Premier League games for Brighton, as many as he netted in his first 26 appearances in the competition before this.
- Kurt Zouma scored what was only his second Premier League goal for Chelsea (72nd appearance), and his first since September 2015 against Arsenal.
Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves: Jimenez, Saiss strike early as Wolves beat Sheffield United
Wolverhampton Wanderers made a shinning start to their 2020-21 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side scored twice inside the first six minutes with Raul Jimenez scoring the opening goal in a man of the match performance before Romain Saiss’ header doubled the advantage.
Watch the match highlights below…
Sheffield United returned as a different side after the break as John Fleck hit the post and George Baldock saw a shot cleared off the line by Conor Coady.
Wolves also had the chance to put the game beyond reasonable doubt when Saiss’ effort was tipped onto the post by Aaron Ramsdale but Jimenez steered the rebound wide.
The Blades continued to plug away right until the final whistle, but it was to no avail as Wolves held on for an opening match victory
Sheffield United will take on Burnley on Thursday in the Carabao Cup second round, before a trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Monday.
Wolves, however, host Stoke City in the Carabao Cup second round, also on Thursday evening, and then host Manchester City on Monday in the Premier League.
Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)
- Sheffield United have lost each of their last four games across all competitions; their longest losing streak under current manager Chris Wilder.
- Wolves scored twice in the opening six minutes of a Premier League game for the first time, while it was also the quickest a team have netted two goals in their opening game of a Premier League season.
- This was just the seventh time that Wolves have won a Premier League away game by more than one goal – five of those seven victories have come during Nuno Espírito Santo’s time in charge.
Other Matchday 1 results
Saturday 12th September
Fulham 0 – 3 Arsenal
Crystal Palace 1 – 0 Southampton
Liverpool 4 – 3 Leeds United
West Ham United 0 – 2 Newcastle United
Sunday 13th September
West Bromwich Albion 0 – 3 Leicester City
Tottenham Hotspur 0 – 1 Everton
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