Albion Analytics: Breaking records at Stamford Bridge

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Albion secured their first ever league victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Liam Tharme

Albion Analytics

2023-04-17T08:30:00Z

Julio Enciso's phenomenal goal ensured Albion came away from Stamford Bridge with three points.

Albion marched one step closer to a top seven finish with a comeback win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It was a record-breaking afternoon for Roberto de Zerbi’s side, who once again showed their resilient side to come back from behind and, deservedly, take all three points.

Only Crystal Palace (20), Arsenal (15) and Tottenham (14) have recovered more points from losing positions than Brighton this season (12), with eight of those coming in away games — the joint-most in the league with Newcastle.

Only in 2021/22 did Brighton recover more points (14) than so far this season, as a Premier League club. It was Brighton’s ninth Premier League comeback win and a fourth by a 2-1 scoreline.

Even more significantly, it was a first ever Albion league win at Stamford Bridge. Having lost six of the first seven Premier League meetings between the sides, Brighton are unbeaten in the last five — never conceding more than once — and can add Chelsea to a list of Premier League teams they have done the double over, for the sixth consecutive season always beating (at least) two teams home and away.

Brighton’s 12 first-half shots were the most Chelsea have faced at Stamford Bridge since Opta started collecting data in 2003-04, as were the 26 Brighton had across the full match. De Zerbi’s side had 67% possession in the first 45 minutes, the most by an away team in the Premier League this season.

The win is Brighton’s fourth win in nine games (one draw, four losses) against a ‘big-six’ club this season (added to the 4-1 and 3-0 home wins against Chelsea and Liverpool and the 2-1 opening weekend win at Manchester United), the most of any non ‘big-six’ side against that select group. They also have the best record against those opponents for points (13), goals scored (18), big chances (25), touches in the opposition box (269), through balls (23) and are the only team to average a majority possession share (54.2%) in those games.

For all their quality in build-up and chance creation, it was ironic that Brighton’s winner, courtesy of Julio Enciso, was a piece of individual brilliance from outside the box — of all Albion Premier League goals this season, only Alexis Mac Allister’s free-kick against Leicester (30 yards) was scored from further out than Enciso’s at Stamford Bridge (27.9 yards). Across the last five seasons, it is the third-longest Brighton goal in the Premier League (after Mac Allister’s and Moises Caicedo (28.3 yards) against Manchester United last season).

It is a result that takes Brighton to within one more win of a record Premier League points total (52 — existing record is 51 from last season).

De Zerbi’s side entered the weekend with, according to Opta, over an 80% chance of a top seven finish and likely European football. They are getting closer.