- Bremer fired visitors in front
- Hosts took a while to get going
- Final scoreline reflected dominance
TELL ME MORE: The reigning WSL champions started brightly, with Fran Kirby hitting the crossbar inside six minutes. They were, however, to fall behind in the 10th minute when club captain Millie Bright failed to track the run of Pauline Bremer and she slid in a low cross from close range.
The Brighton goal lived a charmed life from that point, with Seagulls goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley pulling off some remarkable saves. One of those came in the 37th minute, when a mad scramble saw Chelsea strike the woodwork again while also having an effort cleared off the line. The Blues’ relentless pressure finally told in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage-time when Nusken headed home a whipped delivery from Jess Carter.
The Germany international midfielder then turned the tie on its head seven minutes into the second half, much to the relief of the home support at Kingsmeadow, when she collected a square pass while bursting through the middle and produced a composed finish when presented with a clear sight of the target.
Brighton did have chances, with Chelsea unable to keep the back door completely bolted before Elisabeth Terland struck late on, but the points were wrapped up 16 minutes from time when Nusken completed her treble by turning in a driven cross from Sam Kerr. The German then turned provider when teeing up substitute Aggie Beever-Jones for the Blues’ fourth in the 82nd minute.
THE MVP: Despite having the attacking talents of Kirby, Kerr and Lauren James at their disposal, Chelsea required midfield dynamo Sjoeke Nusken to dig them out of a hole. The German could never be considered prolific, but she showed the finishing instincts of a striker when delivering three smart finishes and an assist that saw her sniff out space and make the most of opportunities that came her way – with more attack-minded team-mates being shown how it should be done.
THE BIG LOSER: Millie Bright may be one of the most decorated and experienced players in the Women’s Super League – with her pedigree allowing the armband to be filled for England at the 2023 World Cup – but even the best in the business can suffer the odd lapse in concentration. Bright will need no reminding that she should have done better with Brighton's first goal, as Bremer was allowed to drift in at the back post to slide into an unguarded net completely unopposed.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Chelsea will be heading out on the road next weekend, when they take in a trip to Aston Villa, while Brighton have another testing encounter to come as they prepare to play host to Manchester United on November 5.
MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐⭐