In the 27th minute of this evening’s Premier League tie between Brighton and Chelsea, the Blues found themselves hammered into the lead after Hakim Ziyech was rewarded for an audacious effort on goal.
Ziyech exchanged passes with N’Golo Kante in the final third, before he teed himself up for a speculative effort from the right side of the area.
The attacking midfielder, who has endured a difficult season with the Blues that has seen him benched regularly, caught Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez off guard as he fired a low strike towards goal.
The ball ended up in the bottom corner of the net, with Sanchez able to get a hand to the shot, but failing to keep it out as it rattled in.
What a strike! ?
Hakim Ziyech’s powerful hit finds the bottom corner and gives Chelsea the lead ? pic.twitter.com/5VrjphG8tJ
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 18, 2022
Pictures from BT Sport.
Of course the moment is poetic in some senses, Ziyech has just set Chelsea on their way to victory with a goal that came at a time when Morocco were struggling with Gabon in a massive upset…
The national team boss will face increased scrutiny for leaving the country’s highest profile player out of the Africa Cup of Nations squad.