With the football world burning around them, Chelsea and Brighton played out a forgetful 0-0 draw on Tuesday night.
Given the Super League implosion, the Blues looked far from being one of the best teams in Europe. They never really got started with Brighton having the better chances in 90 minutes.
The most dramatic moment in the competition came more than an hour before it started when a protest against the proposed breakaway competition prevented the Chelsea team bus from entering the ground.
This caused the kick-off to be delayed by 15 minutes, and the game started slowly as it eventually got underway. Kai Havertz rejected a decent opportunity in 20 minutes of play in the only real action during the first half. Before the match, manager Thomas Tuchel admitted that events outside the field had affected his players’ preparations and it turned out.
It did not get better after the break either. First, Kurt Zouma was almost penalized for blundering the ball when Neal Maupay picked up his pocket before handing it over to Adam Lallana, who fired narrowly.
Chelsea could have done with the three points | Sebastian Frej / MB Media / Getty Images
Shortly after, Chelsea had another narrow escape when Danny Welbeck hit the crossbar seconds after a mistake by Jorginho. Brighton’s lack of front edge showed once again before the end with Lallana shooting straight at Kepa Arrizabalaga from the edge of the box after a nice turn.
These lost points could prove detrimental to Chelsea at the end of the season with the race for Champions League places relevant again, following the imminent collapse of the Super League.
While Chelsea remain fourth at the moment, they are level with points with fifth-placed West Ham, which they play on Saturday, while Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are also breathing down their throats.
