After the Chelsea juggernaut ground to a halt last week against Everton in the WSL, they dismantled Roma in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night in European competition. Which version of Chelsea would show up to the Broadfield, a broken husk of a team, or one determined to put that blip on Merseyside behind them? The Albion, depleted by injuries, wanted to put their best foot forward by challenging the champions to head into the winter break.

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• For a full recap of the match action courtesy of Bruce Talbot head over to the Albion website: HERE
• Match highlights are available via the WSL YouTube channel: HERE

Brighton & Hove Albion

• It would be hard to be frustrated at the result, neither team was at their best, but Chelsea have that depth, that star power, which means even in second or third gear, they can still dominate a game. Dario Vidosic has spoken recently about the lack of options available to him due to injury and it just felt like the opposition exploited those square pegs in round holes all too often on Sunday.
• It seems somewhat pointless to dwell on their goals because the Albion were simply outplayed for almost the full ninety minutes and in those circumstances this type of scoreline is usually the result. In summation of each though, Sandy Baltimore had far too much time to shoot for the first, more crosses need to be stopped at source which leads to the second, and the third was mostly down to the fatigue of constant pressure.
• Anecdotally it felt like Chelsea played so high and with such resolve that Brighton just couldn’t break out and play their own game. Slowly but surely every player dropped deeper and deeper until at times it felt like an all out assault. Sofascore has a facility to tell you the average position of each player and you will not be surprised to hear only Kiko Seike appeared in the opposition half for the Albion. The Blues on the other hand had no less than seven players with average positions north of their halfway line, with Lucy Bronze very nearly making it eight. Sometimes statistics make you question your own instincts, but in this case, they backed them up.
• Whilst we’re on the topic, I have the usual reservations about xG, but it is a useful tool in order to gauge the quality and frequency of goalscoring opportunities. It will not surprise you in this case then to hear that Brighton’s was a miserly 0.4, their lowest of the season, and Chelsea’s was 2.0 – the third highest tally versus the Albion behind only the two Manchester clubs. Extrapolated further, Brighton have fallen below 1.0 xG on four occasions now: Manchester City (0.7), Tottenham (0.7), Arsenal (0.5), and now Chelsea (0.4) – four of the top five teams in the WSL.
• Sophie Baggaley had an excellent game and proved what we knew already, that she is one of the best shot-stoppers in the WSL. For all-round ability of course Chiamaka Nnadozie is the clear first choice, but with the Nigerian goalkeeper off to the Women’s AFCON for a few games in the spring, Baggers may have done enough here to keep herself above the returning Melina Loeck in the pecking order.
• The fact nobody else really stood out tells its own tale really, although Manuela Vanegas had another solid game as she rounds into match fitness, and Madison Haley probably would have had more of an impact had she not been consistently fouled throughout the match.
• Overall an inauspicious way to end this current chapter, but a fifth place finish at the end of last season and a promising 14 points to start 2025/26 – it’s been a good year to be an Albion women’s team fan!

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Chelsea

• We all know Chelsea are an elite team. It’s easy to forget now the streak has ended that, before they lost to Everton, they hadn’t been beaten for 34 games and had scored in 66 consecutively. Put it this way – their demise was greatly exaggerated.
• Someone who always impresses me for the Blues is Erin Cuthbert, she looks like she works hard on TV, but in person she’s just on another level. Never shirks a tackle, holds onto the ball exceptionally well and is always looking to move play forward to retain momentum. The closest realistic target that Brighton could have brought in would have been Ruby Mace who is fast becoming that same style of player, but perhaps the boat has already been missed there.
• I have to mention Sandy Baltimore too after she followed up her excellent goal last season at the Broadfield with cracker on Sunday. I’m still not entirely sure where her best position is, or actually where she specifically plays, but perhaps that is part of her aura – just when you think you’re safe, she comes from nowhere and puts one top bins.

Post-Match

• A new feature, as I was permitted press access after the game for this fixture.
• We heard from Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor first who was pleased with the way her team played as they navigate consecutive weekday European commitments and rotate their squad accordingly. Lucy Bronze took a knock to her ankle, but it was more of an impact injury than anything major as far as they knew at that stage.
• Dario then joined us and spoke primarily about how the team has been affected by key injuries at difficult times and that when he has wanted to rotate, he hasn’t been able to, and when he’s wanted a consistent starting eleven, he’s been forced to make changes. He’s hopeful that the break will give everyone time to heal and refresh as they go in to the new year. One suspects we could see some new faces in the squad too, but that simply speculation as it stands.
• Expect this section to feature at home games whenever possible and I will get better at the logistics of gaining more information and asking questions as I get more experienced in that environment.

Other Business

• The attendance appears to have been 3,493 which, if that is the case, would be the lowest turnout for a Chelsea home game since the 2021/22 season and prior to the Lionesses Euro 2022 success. The previous two home games in 2024/25 and 2023/24 drew 4,490 and 4,549 respectively so the loss of a thousand fans is a real blow. The fixture date and time could well have had an impact – these lunchtime kickoffs are more difficult to negotiate and on a weekend so close to Christmas many may also have chosen to do some last minute shopping or visit family instead.
• Credit once again to Gulls Aloud and the atmosphere section for keeping going all day long. It will always be difficult to get people to join in when the team performance isn’t there, but it doesn’t go unnoticed that you all persevere come wins or losses, rain or shine.
• It was an honour to spend my first game in the press box, although whether I can continue to sit there may be a simple matter of logistics, as the seats were far too cramped for me to fold my ‘ample’ (rotund) frame into. What matters to me is not the prestige per se, though it is of course fabulous to be recognised for my contributions, but to bring you more in-depth and engaging information about our club. If I can do that safely and comfortably then that is what I will continue to do.
• All the staff were really helpful and friendly, particularly as I wasn’t too familiar with the inner workings of the Broadfield and the layout is a little confusing. In particular I’d like to mention Heather, for her trust and ongoing assistance on the media side, as well as the lovely Scottish lady on reception (I must find out her name) who went above and beyond to help me find my way around the ground.

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The SheGulls Podcast will be recorded tonight and released later this week – so for more analysis of the Chelsea game and a round-up of the season so far – do give it a listen. We will be back just before the big day with a fun & frolics-filled Christmas Special before taking a well deserved week off!

See you all soon as always!