Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Nicolas Jackson all stole the spotlights at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Pennsylvania as Chelsea defeated Brighton in a thrilling preseason friendly.
Nkunku accounted for his £55m move to Chelsea as he recorded his second strike in two consecutive matches for the London club.
It was an all round win for Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino as the Blues nibbed early threats by the Seagulls to come out top in the seven-goal thriller.
Interestingly, the two Chelsea forward signings this summer, Nkunku and Jackson, including Mikhailo Mudryk recorded their name on the scoresheet as the club cruised to their second preseason win under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
After seeing off Wrexham with an emphatic 5-0 win, Mauricio Pochettino will be more satisfied despite the narrow victory over Brighton than the Wrexham win.
The former PSG manager tore into his players despite a 5-0 thumping of Wrexham insisting the players would have done more to snap up a more convincing win.
Against the Seagulls, the Blues produced a more scintillating performance, scoring four pass the Roberto De Zerbi-led team.
Former Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck pulled an early shocker when he fired Brighton into the lead in the 13th minute before Christopher Nkunku canceled out the lead in the 19th minute.
A dragging first half saw both sides head into the break with the scores tied at 1-1 with no side able to exert full control of proceedings.
The second half saw both sides tied down again in a tightly-contested clash. Brighton held off the attacking threats from Pochettino’s star-studded side while contesting confidently for possession and maintaining a good press.
After the hour mark, Chelsea wriggled and broke off Brighton’s hold with a rare 11 minutes of brilliance which overturned the game after Brighton’s van Hecke was sent off in the 60th minute.
The Blues hurled in 3 goals in 11 minutes to take a dramatic 4-1 lead in a flash. Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first Chelsea goal as he netted in the 65th minute to break the tie before Connor Gallagher extended the lead in the 72nd minute.
New signing from Villarreal, Nicolas Jackson, put the game beyond the Seagulls as his 76th minute strike made it 4-1 for the Blues.
Despite playing 10-man down, Brighton fought back with two late goals in the 79th and 89th minute but Chelsea held on to grab a 4-3 win to maintain their winning streak under Pochettino.
The Blues will hope to continue in their winning ways when they line up against new Premier League heavyweight, Newcastle United on Thursday, 27 July before taking Marco Silva’s Fulham on Sunday, 30 July, and Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, 3 August.
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