Albion gained a well-deserved point against the Blues after Alireza Jahanbakhsh's brilliant acrobatic effort cancelled out Cesar Azpilicueta's opener at the Amex.
1. Depth on the left
For many teams, an early injury to a player who had taken part in every minute of every Premier League game this season could have caused concern. But when Dan Burn was withdrawn after fracturing his collar bone in the 22nd minute, Graham Potter was able to call on Bernardo as a replacement. The Brazilian put in an accomplished display, dealing with the threat of Willian, while also overlapping Leandro Trossard to support Albion’s push for an equaliser when he could. Although he has had to wait for his chance this season – this was just his fifth Premier League appearance of the campaign - Bernardo's displays over the festive period have demonstrated Albion’s strength in depth.
2. Maupay and Connolly linking up
The introduction of Aaron Connolly at half-time reinvigorated Albion’s attack and they began to threaten Chelsea, enjoying an increasing amount of possession in the visitors’ half. Connolly has developed a useful partnership with Neal Maupay this season and the pair linked up to create space for each other and harass Chelsea’s backline on several occasions prior to the equaliser. After the goal, the movement of Connolly created space for Maupay but the Frenchman was denied a winner by the outstretched boot of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
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3. Ali makes the difference
Alireza Jahanbakhsh will not want the festive schedule to end. Having opened his Albion account on Saturday with the opener against AFC Bournemouth, the former AZ Alkmaar wide man capped a fine cameo off the bench by rescuing a point with a stunning overhead kick with seven minutes remaining. Jahanbakhsh has had to be patient this season but he is making up for lost time. Another lively performance today also earned him the man of the match award.
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4. Patience is key
Chelsea’s early dominance could have been a cause for concern, but Albion absorbed a lot of the pressure as they limited their opponents to few clear-cut opportunities during the 90 minutes. Even after falling behind, the Seagulls did not rush into pushing for a goal, culminating in a pulsating final ten when Albion scored and could have nicked a winner. A great example of patience paying off for Potter's men.
5. Better record against top six
Prior to today, Albion had failed to take a point off Chelsea in ten previous attempts. However, they can now add today’s hard-earned point to their wins over Tottenham and Arsenal earlier in the season, as they build a decent record against the so-called top six this season. With Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City all still to visit the Amex, there remains the opportunity to add to the seven points already gained.