Chelsea dropped yet more valuable points in a 1-1 draw with Brighton that now leaves them looking over their shoulders in the race for the top four.
Hakim Ziyech fired the Blues in front in the first-half with a powerful effort from distance.
But Adam Webster’s header meant a share of the spoils at the Amex Stadium.
James Robson was there to assess their performance another frustrating night for Thomas Tuchel.
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6
Superb save denied Alexis MacAllister, but was let down by his defence for Webster’s equaliser. No blame on his part.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 6
Playing as an orthodox full-back until Thomas Tuchel went in search of a winner, he had to focus on his defensive duties and was disciplined throughout.
Thiago Silva - 8
In the right place at the right time on a number of occasions and showed pace and strength to hold off Danny Welbeck and deny Brighton in the second-half.
Antonio Rudiger - 7
Needed to be sharp to cut out Tariq Lamptey’s runs when he got beyond Marcos Alonso and coped well in the face of consistent pressure from the home side.
Callum Hudson-Odoi - 6
Showed flashes of his skill, but failed to have enough of an impact on the game in an attacking sense.
N’Golo Kante - 7
A proper box-to-box performance as Chelsea lined up with a back four. Crucial interceptions at one end – and then proved the creator for Ziyech’s opener.
Brighton bite back! 🔥
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 18, 2022
Adam Webster bags his second goal of the season with an important header 💪 pic.twitter.com/iF70vR48ix
Jorginho - 5
A change of system did not suit the Italian, who looked exposed on occasion without the security of an extra holding midfielder.
Marcos Alonso - 6
Up against Lamptey, it looked like a recipe for disaster. Largely stood up to the challenge in the first-half, but stretched after the break as Brighton consistently pushed forward.
Mason Mount - 5
Played in a more withdrawn midfield role and could not get into enough areas to stretch Brighton. Subdued performance in general.
Romelu Lukaku - 5
Starved of service yet again. It must be so frustrating for the Belgian. Forced a save when rarely receiving the ball in a dangerous area.
Hakim Ziyech - 6
Scored the opener for Chelsea with a sweet strike – but rarely looked like opening Brighton up after that.
Substitutes
Kai Havertz (Lukaku, 80’) - 4
Could not provide any type of spark after being thrown on to find a winner.
Mateo Kovacic (Jorginho, 80’) - 4
Injected energy into a Chelsea midfield that struggled to cope with Brighton.
Timo Werner (Ziyech, 80’) - 4
It was a big ask to expect him to come up with something so late on.
