Nicolas Jackson's goal secured a victory for Chelsea against Brighton, allowing the Blues to advance to the Carabao Cup fourth round at Stamford Bridge.
Brighton started the game energetically, but they struggled to create significant problems for Chelsea's former goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez.
In the 24th minute, the Spanish shot-stopper nearly gifted a goal to Joao Pedro, but the striker's chip hit the roof of the net, sparing the goalkeeper.
Sanchez's troubles continued as he made an errant pass under pressure from Carlos Baleba, which led to Ansu Fati having a one-on-one opportunity with Sanchez, but the Spanish forward couldn't put enough power behind his shot, and Sanchez made a relatively easy low save.
In injury time, the Blues had a chance to take the lead, but Cole Palmer couldn't find the target from a tight angle after a pass from Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Chelsea did break the deadlock just five minutes into the second half - Palmer delivered a precise pass to Jackson, who calmly slotted the ball past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into the bottom corner.
Verbruggen had to make a smart save to deny Jackson a second goal in the 62nd minute.
Although Jackson found the net again in the 72nd minute, the offside flag prevented Chelsea from extending their lead.
Brighton continued to apply pressure during seven minutes of injury time. However, Pervis Estupinan and Joao Pedro missed their chances, and Mauricio Pochettino's men managed to hold on, even with ten men after Ben Chilwell had to leave the field due to injury.
Chelsea will now look to improve their Premier League form and prepare for a West London derby against Fulham, while Brighton will face Aston Villa in their next match on Saturday.
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Nicolas Jackson 51' |
