After almost six months, football fans in the Premier League returned to stadiums as Brighton hosted Chelsea in a friendly on Saturday.
After a go-ahead from the Government, over 2,500 fans were allowed into the Amex Stadium to watch Brighton and Chelsea lock horns as both teams got their pre-season campaign underway.
In the 1-1 draw, Chelsea fans would be glad to see Frank Lampard hand new boys Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech their Chelsea Debuts.
Werner opened his Chelsea account just four minutes into the first-half while Willy Caballero saved Neal Maupays’ penalty in the second half.
Ziyech, who played a part in Chelsea’s’ opener, departed the game due to an injury before Pascal Gross restored parity for the Seagulls with another spot-kick in the 91st-minute.
Before kick-off, digital matchday ticket was scanned at the entry point into the stadium, cashless transactions made at kiosks while there were banners and signs instructing fans of the need to wash hands regularly.
Face coverings masks were also required for fans at entry points, while plenty of hand sanitization points were mounted on the stadium grounds
Speaking after the game, Brighton boss Graham Potter said he hopes more fans will get the chance to see the team in action again soon.
Graham said: “I thought it was a fantastic day – a small step to getting back to normal as soon as we can safely do so,” Potter told the club’s official website.
“It was so nice to see fans here because as we know it brings a completely different dynamic to the stadium and I thought they made a lot of noise and got involved in the game. Hopefully, they enjoyed the performance as well.
“I think people at the club deserve a lot of credit for the work that has gone in and hopefully it was the first successful step to a return to normal at some stage in the future.”
