As a 10-man, Enzo Fernandez recorded his first Premier League double. Chelsea defeated Brighton 3-2 at Stamford Bridge to recover from their 4-1 thrashing at Newcastle last week.
Even after captain Conor Gallagher was sent off for a second yellow card shortly before halftime, Mauricio Pochettino’s team was able to secure just their second league victory at home.
And it was Fernandez, the winner of the Argentina World Cup, who scored the game’s winning penalty on minute 65, after VAR had determined that James Milner had knocked down Mykhailo Mudryk.
After some careless Brighton defending allowed Fernandez to head in his first Chelsea goal on minute seventeen, Levi Colwill followed suit four minutes later with another close-range header, leaving the visitors again wanting at the back.
Joao Pedro gave Roberto De Zerbi’s team a chance to salvage a point in additional time after Facundo Buonanotte struck a wonderful swerving goal just before halftime, but in the end, they were unable to hold on and lost to Chelsea for the first time in six games.
In the final ten minutes of added time, there was also a moment of late VAR confusion when it was evident that Colwill had knocked the ball off his head. Referee Craig Pawson appeared to point to the penalty spot before realizing his error and the visiting fans applauded.
After a wild afternoon in which players from both teams pushed around the match officials at full time, Chelsea moved up to 10th place in the standings, three points behind Brighton, who are still in ninth place with 22 points from 14 games. Reece James was also sent off for a second booking late in the game at Newcastle.