Kepa Arrizabalaga acknowledged Chelsea’s struggles at Brighton but also highlighted how only poor defending from a set-piece denied us a gritty win on the South Coast.
The keeper made one very good save moments before Adam Webster’s equaliser, but other than having to be alert coming off his line on a few occasions, he was not overly troubled by a vibrant Seagulls side.
As he reflected on the game, which finished 1-1 just like our recent meeting at Stamford Bridge, Kepa explained why Brighton’s strategy makes them tough opponents.
‘We are not happy of course, we dropped two points and we didn’t play well,’ he said.
‘In both games, at home and here, we scored first and were in a good position to control the game, but they played a very physical game, one against one in all the pitch. It’s not easy to control the game against Brighton. You have space behind the line, you have a chance to go one against one, but in the same way they have those chances.
‘It was a very open game. We had to create more chances. We had opportunities near the box to go one against one, to shoot, and maybe that’s something we have to improve.’
The manner of the equaliser, coming so soon after Kepa’s superb stop to deny Alexis Mac Allister, was a source of particular irritation to the Spaniard.
‘Of course there is disappointment and frustration. We only got a point because they scored from a set-piece. We worked a lot, we ran a lot, but in small details we lost two points.
‘Set-pieces are about concentration, about focus and taking your man. We have to look at ourselves, not outside, and improve. There is not one solution. We are working on it, trying to find solutions.’
Kepa admitted our inconsistent form in the past six weeks has cost us a chance at the title, and we are now looking down rather than up as we prepare to face Tottenham this weekend.
‘We are honest. We are in good positions in all the competitions - we are in the Champions League, we have the League Cup final and the World Club Cup - but in the Premier League we have dropped points in the last month. We have to get back to winning ways because everybody is coming [up behind us].
‘We need points because we want to be on top of the league, but we have to look at ourselves, improve and step up. We have another big game on Sunday, a London derby, and from there we go.’