Chelsea vs Brighton LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight

Follow all the action as Chelsea host Brighton in the Premier League tonight at Stamford Bridge. The introduction of second-half substitute Romelu Lukaku inspired Chelsea to claim a vital win after falling behind at Aston Villa on Boxing Day and Thomas Tuchel’s side know that they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to keep pace with Manchester City in the title race.

Liverpool’s defeat at Leicester last night means the Blues can move above Jurgen Klopp’s side into second with a win, ahead of the meeting between the two teams on Sunday. City, meanwhile, are closing in on a 10th consecutive victory and face Brentford away from home this evening as they look to maintain their six-point lead at the the top of the table.

Brighton ended their 11-match run without a win as they defeated Brentford 2-0 on Boxing Day thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay. The Seagulls secured a 0-0 draw on their visit to Stamford Bridge last season but are yet to defeat Chelsea in any of their eight attempts since returning to the Premier League. Follow live coverage of Chelsea vs Brighton below, plus updates from the later match between Manchester City and Brentford.

Chelsea vs Brighton

• Chelsea XI: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Pulisic, Mount, Lukaku, Hudson-Odoi

• Brighton XI: Sánchez, Veltman, Lamptey, Burn, Cucurella, Lallana(c), Bissouma, Moder, Mac Allister, March, Maupay

• 28’ - GOAL! Lukaku’s glancing header breaks the deadlock, 1-0

• Man City lead Brentford thanks to Foden’s opener

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

21:02 , Jamie Braidwood

72 mins: Mount does brilliantly to spin away from Cucurella, before Burn fouls Lukaku as he tried to get tight and force him off the ball.

21:01 , Jack Rathborn

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

21:00 , Jamie Braidwood

69 mins: Chelsea have broken up Brighton’s momentum slightly - they’ve had more of the ball in the opposing half in these past five minutes than they did in the previous 20 of this half.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:56 , Jamie Braidwood

65 mins: But here comes Kante - could this swing the balance? Chelsea certainly need him to. The Frenchman comes on to replace Hudson-Odoi for Chelsea’s third and final substitute.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:55 , Jamie Braidwood

64 mins: Brighton weave forward, but can’t quite squeeze the ball through to Maupay. It leads to a corner but as the ball breaks to Lallana in the box, the midfielder can’t get his volley down. Hudson-Odoi is in the book after hacking down Bissouma, and Chelsea are on the edge.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:50 , Jamie Braidwood

60 mins: Another HUGE chance for Brighton! It’s brilliant play from the visitors, again. Veltman plays a lovely ball down the side to Mac Allister, who skips past Mendy but is forced wide. He rolls it back to Maupay, with Mendy out of his goal, but Rudiger makes a massive block as he pulled the trigger!

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:47 , Jamie Braidwood

57 mins: Close! Maupay goes inches wide with a low effort that skims past the post! That’s why that chance for Hudson-Odoi was so crucial - Brighton are still a big threat in this game.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:46 , Jamie Braidwood

55 mins: What a chance! Chelsea have to score after Hudson-Odoi and Mount find themselves two-on-one on the break. Hudson-Odoi finds himself caught in two minds and rather than shooting, his cut-back to Mount is cut out by Veltman!

Just before, there were some half-hearted appeals for a penalty as Mount went down under a challenge from Veltman.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:43 , Jamie Braidwood

54 mins: Save! Brighton come forward again and Alonso’s clearance only goes as far as Bissouma - who forces Mendy into the stop with a stinging effort from 25 yards!

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:41 , Jamie Braidwood

50 mins: Mendy almost sees his clearance charged down by Maupay! The Chelsea goalkeeper got away with one there. Pulisic then concedes a free-kick for a foul on March. Mac Allister fires at goal from the angle but Mendy is able to punch clear.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:39 , Jamie Braidwood

49 mins: Chance! It’s almost a repeat of the opening goal! Mount again swings in a corner from the right and Lukaku is inches away from meeting it on the six-yard line.

Pulisic then appeals for a penalty after running past Veltman, who did make contact as Pulisic lost control of the ball. No penalty.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:37 , Jamie Braidwood

47 mins: Close! Good play from Brighton, and that’s the closest they’ve come to scoring! Lallana plays in a smart, first-time cross from the left and finds Moder making a late run. He flicks it on and the ball almost drops in, but Mendy was able to watch it over the bar.

Kick-off! Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:35 , Jamie Braidwood

Back underway at Stamford Bridge. Chalobah is on for Chelsea in place of Christensen, who can’t continue following his first-half injury.

GOAL! Brentford 0-1 Man City

20:31 , Jamie Braidwood

Eh, as you were. De Bruyne swings in a peach of a ball and Foden opens up his foot to steer Man City in front.

Half-time: Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Elsewhere in west London, Manchester City have kicked off at Brentford, but it’s the hosts who have made the better start! They’re up for this!

Ederson is forced into a flying stop from Wissa before Cancelo clears off the line!

Half-time: Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:27 , Jamie Braidwood

Indeed, Brighton have had more possession, more shots and more passes than their opponents. It’s been a good performance from Graham Potter’s side so far.

Chelsea will be glad to get into the break in-front, and for all of Brighton’s encouraging play they have yet to be seriously tested. The injury to Reece James, which is reportedly a hamstring injury, was bad news during the half.

HALF-TIME! Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:20 , Jamie Braidwood

That’s what having a proper number nine gets you. Brighton have been the better team, on balance, but Chelsea lead through Lukaku’s header on 28 minutes.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:19 , Jamie Braidwood

45+3 mins: Another decent move from Brighton, this time after Rudiger loses the ball. They come forward through March and again get plenty of numbers in the box, but Maupay can’t get a decent connect on the header.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:18 , Jamie Braidwood

45+2 mins: Save! Brighton threaten again before half-time, They work it nicely along the edge of the box, before Mac Allister unleashes a fierce shot with his left foot. It’s a good height for Mendy and straight at him.

20:16 , Jack Rathborn

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:15 , Jamie Braidwood

45 mins: Rudiger fires a wayward pass forward to Lukaku, which is comfortably gathered by Sanchez. Chelsea have been second-best since taking the lead, you’ve got to say.

There will be four minutes added on.

20:15 , Jack Rathborn

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:13 , Jamie Braidwood

42 mins: Brighton’s latest corner ends up in Lamptey shooting over from outside of the box. Brighton have certainly racked up the attempts on goal in this first half, and have maybe even had more than Chelsea so far.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:11 , Jamie Braidwood

40 mins: Oh, look at this. Rudiger lunges into a tackle on Lamptey by the touchline. He was off the ground and flew in with two feet, even though he won the ball. He gets a yellow card, but you’ve seen other challenges like that result in red cards given the force.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:08 , Jamie Braidwood

37 mins: March does well to beat Pulisic down the left, before the ball is cut-back to Bissouma. He shoots at goal but Mendy makes the save. Moments later, Bissouma makes a drive into the box, before slipping and catching Azplicaceuta, it breaks to Lallana who forces another save from Mendy!

Good spell from Brighton.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:06 , Jamie Braidwood

35 mins: Woah - Mac Allister makes a fierce connection on a volley from the edge of the box, but Rudiger throws himself on it to make the block.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:05 , Jamie Braidwood

34 mins: Nice play between Lukaku and Mount, who ran past Cucurella after knocking it between his legs. Cucurella gets back and Mount concedes the foul.

Chelsea 1-0 Brighton

20:04 , Jamie Braidwood

32 mins: Christensen is still limping after his earlier injury - but he bails out Chelsea after Maupay had a sniff of a chance. Azpilicueta then clears a corner at the near post, before Mendy collects a cross from Cucurella.

20:03 , Jack Rathborn

GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Brighton (LUKAKU 28’)

19:58 , Jamie Braidwood

He’s back! Mount swings in a ball from the right and Lukaku meets it at the front post to power a header down into the ground and into the far corner!

It’s a brilliant header - but Brighton are upset as they believe Lukaku caught Maupay as he ran to meet the ball.

Maupay stayed down, holding his face, but he simply has to be stronger there to stop Lukaku’s run.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:56 , Jamie Braidwood

25 mins: More concern for Chelsea. Christensen got up and continued, but now James is down. The Chelsea physios are signalling that he will need to be substituted. That’s not good news for Tuchel.

It looks like it came following a tackle from behind from Bissouma, who may have caught his ankle. Marcos Alonso is being readied now.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:55 , Jamie Braidwood

24 mins: Chelsea’s best moment of the game. Kovacic plays a curling ball forward to Lukaku, who waits before slipping in Mount on his outside. Mount strikes at goal but Sanchez is equal to it at his near post.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:54 , Jamie Braidwood

23 mins: This has to go down as a chance! Kovacic gets robbed by Bissouma in midfield, as Brighton spring forward! He has a chance to slip in Lamptey, but the pass is overhit and Rudiger gets back well to guide it back to Mendy. They should have been through on goal, though.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:53 , Jamie Braidwood

22 mins: This is the last thing Chelsea wanted - another defensive injury. Christensen is down and it does not look like he can continue. Chalobah is being prepared.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:51 , Jamie Braidwood

21 mins: Hudson-Odoi threatens Veltman as he dribbles into the box, but his cross is blocked and goes behind for a corner. From the set-piece, Hudson-Odoi sees his cross evade everyone and run behind.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:50 , Jamie Braidwood

19 mins: James ducks inside Lamptey and swings a ball into the box - but it’s too close to Sanchez. That’s one of the draw-backs of James playing on the opposite side. He could be tempted to cut onto his right foot too often, making his delivery too predictable.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:48 , Jamie Braidwood

16 mins: Off the post! Chelsea won a corner on the right but Sanchez makes a mess of it in the Brighton goal! He goes for the punch but flaps at the ball. It dropped to Azpilicueta who could only turn a shot against the frame of the goal, via a deflection, before Sanchez gathered from Rudiger’s header. A lucky escape for the visitors.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:44 , Jamie Braidwood

13 mins; Kovacic rolls the ball into Lukaku’s feet but Burn does well to get in around the outside to win it back before Cucurella clears. Azplicaceuta swings in a ball that misses everyone and runs behind.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:42 , Jamie Braidwood

10 mins: Brilliant from Lamptey! He spins James and bursts into space down the right, before cutting back, standing him up and beating him on the inside. His run ends with a left-foot shot that didn’t trouble Mendy, but James has to be careful of his threat and that was a reminder of it.

19:41 , Jack Rathborn

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:38 , Jamie Braidwood

7 mins: Nice play from Hudson-Odoi to drift onto his right foot and look for the far corner - it loops up and Cucurella heads clear to beat Lukaku to the ball at the back post.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:36 , Jamie Braidwood

5 mins: Lamptey makes a run around the outside of James and Moder plays a nice pass into the space. Lamptey goes down in the box to Brighton appeals, but it looks like James just held his ground. That should be a great battle on the wing.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:34 , Jamie Braidwood

4 mins: Lukaku makes another burst before sliding in Pulisic, but the American is crowded out and Brighton recover possession.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:33 , Jamie Braidwood

3 mins: Nice break from Chelsea, after Lukaku flicks the ball on ahead of Burn. It plays in Mount, who looks for Hudson-Odoi - but Lamptey covers well to clear.

Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:32 , Jamie Braidwood

2 mins: Maupay gets an early touch in the Chelsea box as he receives a throw from Cucurella, before James clears up at the back post. Pulisic is at right wing-back with Hudson-Odoi in the front three.

KICK-OFF! Chelsea 0-0 Brighton

19:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Underway at Stamford Bridge as Brighton get us going, and it looks like Reece James is lining up at left-back. That’s one to keep an eye on.

Chelsea vs Brighton

19:27 , Jamie Braidwood

The players are in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge - we’re moments away from kick-off in these two teams final matches of 2021.

Chelsea vs Brighton

19:26 , Jamie Braidwood

Brighton manager Graham Potter, speaking to Amazon Video: “It’s nice to get a win. It’s been frustrating for us, there have been a lot of draws, not too many defeats but not enough wins, so it was nice to win against Brentford.

“[Trossard] had a really strong half against Brentford and it really affected our team performance after he went off, but that’s life, especially at this time of the year. It’s someone else’s opportunity.

“Sometimes it’s a fine line between scoring and not. Neal [Maupay] has kept working, sometimes they go in. Chelsea are champions of Europe - they’ve invested a lot in their team and are competing at the top of the league.”

Brentford vs Man City: Team news

19:16 , Jamie Braidwood

Brentford: Fernandez; Pinnock, Jansson, Bech; Roerslev, Baptiste, Onyeka, Jensen, Thompson; Toney, Wissa

Man City: Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Ake; Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Bernardo; Foden, Jesus, Grealish

Chelsea vs Brighton

19:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, speaking to Amazon Video:

“Results and wins help like nothing else. It brings back belief and energy if you struggle with bad results. We weren’t happy with the results before that but I think we had the right to stay confident with what we do. Full credit to the guys. They are always spot-on in terms of mentality and attitude. This is what we need to do again today.

“The circumstances are the problem. The fixtures are not the problem. Players are used to it, players love it, this is what they do. To play all the time is not the problem. If you miss players for weeks and then have the uncertainty of Covid, this causes trouble and uncertainty, and concern. This is what we have to deal with.

“It’s too early to say [that Lukaku is back to his best] but he will be back to his best at some point. He hasn’t started since October for us. His intensity and work rate was on the highest level [against Villa].”

Chelsea vs Brighton

19:06 , Jamie Braidwood

Graham Potter described the feeling of Brighton ending their 11-match winless run as “fantastic” - but added that his side must now build on what has been a positive start to the season overall.

“As has been pointed out, it’s been quite a while,” Potter said. “Whilst we have been picking up points, that was important for us tonight. We’re on the back of a little run that we’re frustrated with, which isn’t very nice and to win was fantastic, really pleased for the boys.

“We’ve only lost three in that run, we’ve had a lot of draws and we’ve had a lot of positive performances. But the narrative is the narrative and you have to deal with it. At the moment, we’re on 23 points and that’s not a bad return.”

Brentford vs Man City: Team news

19:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Brentford have a number of injury concerns, with Kristoffer Ajer, Rico Henry, David Raya, Mathias Jorgensen, Charlie Goode, Vitaly Janelt, Bryan Mbeumo and Joshua Dasilva all either doubtful or ruled out. Christian Norgaard is also out due to suspension.

Rodri, Kyle Walker and John Stones were all missing for the Boxing Day win over Leicester but could return here. Guardiola is certain to make changes, with Phil Foden and Jack Grealish potentially in line for a recall.

Predicted line-ups

Brentford: Fernandez; Pinnock, Jansson, Sorensen; Canos, Jensen, Onyeka, Ghoddos, Thompson; Wissa, Toney

Man City: Ederson; Cancelo, Laporte, Dias, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo; Foden, Grealish, Jesus

Chelsea vs Brighton

18:52 , Jamie Braidwood

Seventy days. That’s how long it has been since Romelu Lukaku has started a match for Chelsea. The injury he suffered during that 4-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League - and his subsequent positive Covid-19 test - have seen him out since then. Chelsea have done well at times in his absence, with some of their best attacking performances of the season coming in that time, but Lukaku’s return undoubtedly lifted Thomas Tuchel’s side in the second half against Aston Villa - and the striker could kick-start their season following their blip earlier this month.

Chelsea vs Brighton: Team news

18:43 , Jamie Braidwood

Meanwhile, Brighton make three changes with Joel Veltman, Yves Bissouma and Solly March coming for Adam Webster, Enock Mwepu and the injured Leandro Trossard.

It looks like Veltman could play alongside Dan Burn in the heart of Brighton’s defence, but there could be a change of system at play too.

Chelsea vs Brighton: Team news

18:38 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea make four changes from their win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day. The key one is that Romelu Lukaku starts his first match for Chelsea since October 20th following his impressive second-half display at Villa Park. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic keep their places, but one will start at left-back as Marcos Alonso drops out. N’Golo Kante, Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah also make way and are replaced by Mateo Kovacic, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azplicaceuta. Kai Havertz is back amongst the substitutes.

Chelsea vs Brighton: Confirmed line-ups

18:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Pulisic; Hudson-Odoi, Mount; Lukaku

Brighton: Sanchez; Veltman, Lamptey, Burn, Cucurella; Lallana, Bissouma, Moder, Mac Allister, March, Maupay

Chelsea vs Brighton: Team news

18:20 , Jamie Braidwood

Brighton are sweating on the fitness of Leandro Trossard, who is a doubt with a hamstring injury after exiting the game at half-time against Brentford. Jeremy Sarmiento, Lewis Dunk and Steven Alzate will miss out here, while Joel Veltman is a doubt, but there is a boost in the return of Yves Bissouma returning from suspension.

Predicted line-up: Sanchez; Lamptey, Webster, Burn, Cucurella; Bissouma, Lallana, Mwepu; Mac Allister; Welbeck, Maupay

Chelsea vs Brighton: Team news

18:10 , Jamie Braidwood

Ben Chilwell will be out for the season after opting for knee surgery, while Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante are due to miss the game after injuries on Boxing Day. Reece James should push through his knock picked up towards the end of the game at Villa Park, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek could return. Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, both out with Covid last weekend, remain doubts. Mateo Kovacic and Romelu Lukaku look to be approaching full fitness after injuries and could start.

Predicted line-up: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Mount; Lukaku

Chelsea vs Brighton

15:36 , Jamie Braidwood

Follow all the action as Chelsea host Brighton in the Premier League tonight at Stamford Bridge. The introduction of second-half substitute Romelu Lukaku inspired Chelsea to claim a vital win after falling behind at Aston Villa on Boxing Day and Thomas Tuchel’s side know that they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to keep pace with Manchester City in the title race.

Liverpool’s defeat at Leicester last night means the Blues can move above Jurgen Klopp’s side into second with a win tonight, ahead of the meeting between the two teams on Sunday. City, meanwhile, are closing in on a 10th consecutive victory and face Brentford away from home tonight as they look to maintain their six-point lead at the the top of the table.

Brighton ended their 11-match run without a win as they defeated Brentford 2-0 on Boxing Day thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay. The Seagulls secured a 0-0 draw on their visit to Stamford Bridge last season but are yet to defeat Chelsea in any of their eight attempts since returning to the Premier League. Follow live coverage of Chelsea vs Brighton, plus updates from the later match between Manchester City and Brentford.