Chelsea have a second corner. Can they make more of this than the first?

Brighton fans continue to sing, Chelsea players continue to stroke the ball around looking for an opening before Cesar Azpilicueta boots a cross straight put of play.

Fair play to the Brighton fans. They're the only ones you can hear here.

They almost have something to really sing about as Tariq Lamptey cuts inside and fires wide. The young full-back looking to show his old club why they should never have let him leave.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton manage to get hold of the ball for a bit. Finally some respite from chasing an digging in to stop an up-for-it home side.

Nedum Onuoha
Former Manchester City defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

It's not game over, but it's pretty significant. City would need to have a mini-calamity between now and the end of the season. There's a reason they're favourites. Four or five weeks ago, it felt like Chelsea were on top, but all of a sudden Chelsea and Liverpool have had a little bit of a dip and City are looking pretty good.

It was actually an attempted shot from Callum Hudson-Odoi. No matter. The Blues have a corner.

In it comes and Robert Sanchez gets his fingertips to it to stop a home player having a header.

The home side drive forward again. Callum Hudson-Odoi's cross loops into the middle, with Romelu Lukaku beaten in the air.

Sooner or later, one of these Chelsea through balls is going to cause some actual damage to Brighton. Another one goes just astray. Albion chancing their arm with a reasonably high line.

For a second, the home fans' hearts are in mouths as Tariq Lamptey goes down in the box after a coming together with Reece James.

The whistle goes... for a Chelsea free-kick.

Chelsea are finding way too much space in front of the Brighton defence. Again they are away, but they can't move the ball quickly enough to fashion a chance before the Albion defence rally.

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Richard Browne: The fact that City can sell Torres says everything about the ludicrous depth in the squad. Which in seasons like this and last gives them a massive advantage. Title was theirs in August.

Judith: I have a funny feeling that these two games are not going to work out like we would imagine, we'll see.

Big chance for Chelsea to create something.

A Romelu Lukaku flicked header releases Mason Mount but his pass to an unmarked Callum Hudson-Odoi is cut out. It was a poor bit of distribution. Could easily have been the opening goal.

What's this? Brighton on the front foot early on. An initial attack comes to nothing, though, as Chelsea stand firm and clear.

This lad is very glad Thomas Tuchel didn't rest Mason Mount.

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Game on. Let's see how the title picture looks after all this.

Right, shall we get this show on the road? Yes. We shall...

Image source, BBC Sport

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

Brighton finally got back to winning ways on Sunday, after a very long wait. Chelsea won too, and their game against Aston Villa was a really good one to watch.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel was complaining about having to play despite the Covid cases at the club but, if Chelsea can put out a similar side to the one that faced Villa, I'd back them to win this one too.

I know Tuchel says playing Romelu Lukaku is a risk at the moment but he made the difference when he came on in that game and they should be able to get some more minutes out of him this time if they need to.

James's prediction: 2-0

Chelsea can be a bit shaky at the back a times but they should win this one.

Find out how Lawro and James think the rest of the midweek fixtures will go

David Anderson
Bees Tactical

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Competing in their fifth consecutive Premier League season, Tony Bloom-owned Brighton showed how much further down the line they are than Matthew Benham-owned Brentford.

An ongoing battle with many more years and acts to play out, Thomas Frank must find current solutions to help boss Benham stabilise his club in the top flight.

Injuries and Covid continue to dominate, yet the Seagulls in recent weeks have been able to leave ex-Brentford forward Neal Maupay out of the side for tactical reasons as well as to rest him.

How we wished he’d been rested for the Boxing Day fixture because it was he who whipped a Christmas cracker into the top corner for nothing less than Brighton's dominance deserved.

Brentford are beginning to look short of what they need in midfield and attack. Forward reinforcements, partly in the form of Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, would breathe dynamism and life into a stuttering attacking unit.

Frank cut a beleaguered figure post-match. It's clear he’d like reinforcements to help him rest players, or at least cope better with absentees - a list to which nailed-on starters Rico Henry and Bryan Mbeumo are now added.

Fortunately, 20 league points and games in hand by Boxing Day have given Benham-owned Brentford the chance to enact their own long game.

Don’t get your hopes up in the short term though, Thomas - tactically resting your best players isn't until year five.

Karen Carney
Former Arsenal midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

Brentford have lost a lot of players, but I listened to Thomas Frank earlier and he said he was going to pick a team that will run, that will give everything. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool haven't found it easy here. It's a rocking atmosphere here and Brentford will need their fans tonight.

The Premier League title is Manchester City’s to lose after Liverpool’s defeat at Leicester, claims former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison.

The Reds’ loss left City six points clear at the summit at the halfway stage of the season – and they can stretch that gap to nine with victory at Brentford on Wednesday.

“City have the points on the board and they are getting all their top players back fit and firing, they have competition for places and they are going to push each other on,” Morrison said on the Football Daily podcast.

“It is a huge blow for Liverpool because City are flying at the moment. Liverpool will be hoping Brentford can do them a favour but I can’t see it with the way City are playing at the moment.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchinson agreed, adding: “When you look at what Manchester City have done, taken 27 points from 27 - and they are just going to go marching on because they are just a machine at the moment - it is an awful long way back for Liverpool.

“Even though we are still in December, it feels like six is a big number to try to chase down City.”

Hear more discussion about the title race from 1'09 on BBC Sounds