In the 60th minute of tonight’s Premier League encounter between Brighton and Chelsea, the Londoners looked like they were still taking in a halftime rest as they froze at a corner, leaving the Seagulls to draw level.
As Alexis Mac Allister whipped a corner in from the left side, not a single Chelsea player picked up the run from Adam Webster, instead sticking to a controversial zonal marking defensive scheme which ultimately left the Brighton man completely unmarked.
Webster steered the ball into the back of the net with a lovely header, but you can’t help but wonder why Tuchel and Chelsea opt for a zonal marking scheme in the first place, and also the bemusement of no Blues player even attempting to challenge the defender in the air.
Brighton bite back! ?
Adam Webster bags his second goal of the season with an important header ? pic.twitter.com/iF70vR48ix
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 18, 2022
Pictures from BT Sport.
Its not even as though Chelsea didn’t have the presence needed to combat aerial threats on the pitch, two star centre-backs in Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva started tonight and Romelu Lukaku was also on the field.
Thomas Tuchel will be disgusted by this lax approach from the Blues, especially as it looks like it will cost them taking home three points in the midst of what has been a shaky run for the Champions League holders.