The first Premier League match of 2020, and of the 20s ended in a draw that featured a goal as amazing as you’ll ever see. Visiting Chelsea went up 1-0 on the strength of Cesar Azpilicueta, celebrating his 100th start as Chelsea captain with a goal in the 10′.
However, the hosts, Brighton & Hove Albion, equalized in the 84′ with this overhead bicycle kick from Alireza Jahanbaksh, a scoring strike so aesthetically pleasing, you’ll need to watch it a few times. Now that the new year and decade has begun, the standard has been set for top goal! Take a look:
https://twitter.com/14113GAWG/status/1212381965065883649
The result at the Amex Stadium means the Blues’ astounding run against the Seagulls has now come to an end. Chelsea had beaten Brighton nine straight, going all the way back to 1983.
“We weren’t ruthless enough,” Blues boss Frank Lampard said of the draw.
“We got the goal and we had the possession. But we just didn’t kill the game off. We allowed them to stay in the game. In the end it was a wonder goal but we were lucky not to lose the game.”
In addition to the setback on the pitch, Chelsea also had some bad news off the pitch as well. The club posted a loss of £96.6 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, according to the latest financial results released yesterday. The west London club had recorded a £62 million profit during the previous fiscal year.
Finally, the Blues have been linked in transfer rumors with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, but Lampard refused to be drawn into a discussion about this topic.
“I won’t talk about him because he’s not in our plans,” the 41-year-old said in his postgame news conference, adding that Chelsea will get their transfer business done out of the public eye. With their transfer ban having now been lifted, it should be an exciting window at Stamford Bridge.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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