Morata returns with a goal as Chelsea beat Brighton

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Chelsea 2 Brighton 0


Alvaro Morata’s goal 52 seconds into the second half and Marcos Alonso’s on the hour mark gave Chelsea a deserved Boxing Day win at Stamford Bridge.

Morata, back in the Blues side, sneaked behind Brighton defender Lewis Dunk to head home Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross from the right – the striker’s 10th Premier League goal.

And Alonso headed home Cesc Fabregas’ corner to seal the victory.

Chelsea dominated a first half in which Eden Hazard and Antonio Rudiger shot wide and Seagulls keeper Mat Ryan produced saves from  Morata and Victor Moses.

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The best opportunity of the first half fell to Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Bakayoko did not have much time to react when Rudiger at the far post headed Fabregas’ right-wing cross back towards the Frenchman, who side-footed wide from seven yards out.

Bakayoko showed much more composure when teeing up Hazard soon after Morata had opened the scoring.

The midfielder brought down a glorious long ball from Fabregas and laid it off to Hazard, who fired narrowly wide.

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Alonso almost doubled the lead with a trademark left-footed free-kick which was tipped away by Ryan, who also did superbly to keep out Alonso’s header from the resulting right-wing corner by Fabregas.

However, Ryan was unable to rescue his side a couple of minutes later, when the Chelsea wide-man nodded in another Fabregas corner, this time from the left flank.

Shane Duffy prevented a third Blues goal with a goal-line clearance to deny Hazard.

Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Rudiger; Moses, Kante (Drinkwater 85), Fabregas, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard (Willian 73), Morata (Batshuayi 81).
Subs not used: Caballero, Drinkwater, Pedro, Zappacosta, Ampadu.