Kepa Arrizabalaga
Back in the starting XI and had nothing to deal with in the first half. Brighton had a couple of shots, but they were either blocked or high over his bar. One decent save to push away a strong shot from Steven Alzate.
However, in the second half he should have done better with the goal from Leandro Trossard. 4

Reece James
Didn't get forward too much in the first half as Brighton enjoyed more of the possession. Whipped one ball into the box, but really didn't have a lot to work with. Solid defensively.
An absolutely stunning strike for the second goal. Really in control as well as the game went on. Moved into midfield late in the game. 8

Kurt Zouma
A strong opening 45 minutes. Good in the tackle and read the game well. The Blues still looked a little nervy from corners, but Zouma was impressive.
There were moments the defence were all over the place at the back. Communication still a big issue for them. Great for him to score, but not keeping a clean sheet would have hurt. 7

Andreas Christensen
A pretty solid start for the Dane. Not really tested too much and he read the game well, with some nice interceptions. Didn't look troubled at first.
The Blues struggled at times at the back and Brighton had some big chances. One very good moment of covering a run to the near post and generally led the defence well. 7

Marcos Alonso
Beaten for pace several times by Tariq Lamptey, the former Blues right-back. Didn't get forward at all in the first half and was given a tough time by the youngster.
Much of the same in the second half, where Lamptey had a great evening getting at his former teammate. Offered little in the attacking sense. 5

Jorginho
Struggled to really control the midfield in the first half, with Brighton enjoying more possession. Couldn't move the ball forward well. Another very good penalty, however.
There was a similar pattern in the second half. The Brighton midfield enjoyed more of the ball and knocked it around nicely, with Jorginho having to do more defensive work. 6

N'Golo Kante
Intercepted the ball well at times. Some good tackles as well, but didn't really dominate the midfield. Was overrun a bit by the impressive Yves Bissouma.
Like Jorginho, there wasn't much possession from the Blues midfield and it was the Seagulls who impressed. However, Kante was still his energetic self and won the ball well. 7

Mason Mount
Playing off the left, he looked to get into the game and had one nice cross. But really didn't have too much impact in the opening half of the game.
Also struggled to get into the game too much as well. Didn't have much joy off the left and couldn't make things happen with the ball at his feet. 5

Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Played as a second striker, but really not a very good opening 45 minutes from the England international. Gave away the ball too much, and one moment he could have played in Werner on goal, but the pass was poor.
Things didn't get any better for him in the second half before coming off. A disappointing night. 3

Kai Havertz
A very quiet opening 45 minutes. The German was barely in the game playing off the right. One nice ball to release Werner through, but struggled to make an impact.
One horrendous moment with a pass that went straight out of play. Not the debut that he would have wanted and will hope for better next time. 3

Timo Werner
A massively encouraging debut. His pace was exceptional, which he showed by winning the penalty. He constantly played the line and worked hard.
Didn't have as much to feed on in the second half. Brighton controlled much of the game and he couldn't be found as much. 8

Substitutes
Ross Barkley (on for Loftus-Cheek 61')
Wasted some good moments when the Blues looked to break forward. 5

Callum Hudson-Odoi (on for Havertz 80')
Added a bit of late pace and energy to catch Brighton on the break. 5

Cesar Azpilicueta (on for Jorginho 85')
Helped to see out the game. 5

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