Chelsea young guns torment Brighton to ease pressure on Sarri
Chelsea beat Brighton 3-0 in their Premier League clash on Wednesday.
LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea eased the pressure on under-fire boss Maurizio Sarri as Callum Hudson-Odoi s influential display and sublime strikes from Eden Hazard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek sealed a 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday.
Sarri couldn t afford a negative result against struggling Brighton at Stamford Bridge after being subjected to fresh calls for his sacking during Sunday s unconvincing win at Cardiff.
The angry Chelsea fans who showed their displeasure at the weekend were in part motivated by Sarri s refusal to select England winger Hudson-Odoi.
But Sarri finally unleashed Hudson-Odoi for his first Premier League start, while Loftus-Cheek also made the most of a rare appearance as the youngsters bolstered Chelsea s bid for a top-four finish.
Hudson-Odoi set up Olivier Giroud s first-half opener and Loftus-Cheek provided the assist for Hazard s superb second.
England midfielder Loftus-Cheek capped a morale-boosting victory for the troubled Blues when the 23-year-old netted a majestic third to kill off FA Cup semi-finalists Brighton.
Chelsea are up to fifth place, behind fourth-placed Arsenal on goal difference as the race to qualify for the Champions League approaches a dramatic denouement.
Achieving that target is essential for Sarri as he battles to avoid the sack in a turbulent first season in charge.
"The manager told me to go and express myself. I feel comfortable, hopefully I did well," Hudson-Odoi said.
Loftus-Cheek added: "We have both worked all of our lives for this chance, years of hard work and now we start in a Premier League game together. That s good for the academy."
Criticised for leaving Hudson-Odoi as an unused substitute against Cardiff, Sarri at last bowed to public pressure.
Hudson-Odoi was one of seven changes, with Hazard and N Golo Kante returning after being rested in south Wales.
The 18-year-old s fine performances for England recently shone the spotlight on Sarri s decision to use him so infrequently.
Hudson-Odoi had played mostly in Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup ties, with his Premier League appearances coming from the bench.
Infuriated by his bit-part role, Hudson-Odoi has considered leaving, with Bayern Munich making their interest public before having a bid rebuffed by Chelsea in the January transfer window.
Sarri would be a brave man to drop him again, but whether Chelsea can persuade him to stay remains to be seen.
Hudson-Odoi s name was loudly cheered when the team was read out before kick-off and he almost made the perfect start when his burst into the Brighton area ended with Shane Duffy deflecting his shot narrowly over.
Adding a much-needed cutting edge to Chelsea s attack, Hudson-Odoi unfurled a pin-point cross that was headed over by Cesar Azpilicueta.
Hudson-Odoi was a constant threat and he played a key role as Chelsea made the breakthrough in the 38th minute.
Hazard s precise pass found Hudson-Odoi on the right flank and he effortlessly eased past Anthony Knockaert with a nimble piece of footwork before whipping over a low cross that Giroud cleverly flicked in from close range.
It was Giroud s first Premier League goal since November and his 11th in all competitions, rewarding Sarri s decision to pick him instead of the misfiring Gonzalo Higuain.
Hudson-Odoi was a far more potent presence than either Willian or Pedro have been on the flanks for Chelsea this season.
Rising to meet Jorginho s cross in the second half, Hudson-Odoi showed impressive strength to get in front of his marker but could only head straight at Mat Ryan.
While Hudson-Odoi s potential is undeniable, Hazard remains Chelsea s main man, a point he stylishly underlined in the 60th minute.
Teed up by Loftus-Cheek on the edge of the Brighton area, Hazard fooled Lewis Dunk with a drop of the shoulder that left the Brighton defender sliding past him, giving the Belgian time to bend a fine finish into the far corner.
Inspired by that moment of magic, Loftus-Cheek produced a show-stopper of his own three minutes later when he curled a superb 25-yard strike into the roof of Ryan s net for his second goal in successive games.
