Alireza Jahanbakhsh made it a festive period to remember after scoring a stunning overhead kick to deny Chelsea in a 1-1 draw with Brighton.

Fresh from scoring on his second appearance of the season against Bournemouth, the Iranian came off the bench to cancel out (84) Cesar Azpilicueta's first-half opener (10) for Chelsea with an outrageous bicycle kick.

Jahanbakhsh has now scored two goals in his last two games for Brighton, having failed to find the net in his first 26 for the club in all competitions.

His equaliser broke Chelsea's historical hold over Brighton, who had lost each of the last 11 meetings with the west Londoners - a run stretching back to 1933.

The result leaves Chelsea five points clear of Manchester United in fourth but United play Arsenal later this evening and can close the gap.

Player Ratings

Brighton: Ryan (7), Burn (6), Dunk (7), Webster (7), Montoya (7), Trossard (6), Mooy (6), Bissouma (6), Alzate (6), Propper (6), Maupay (7)

Subs: Jahanbakhsh (8), Connolly (7), Bernardo (7)

Chelsea: Kepa (8), Rudiger (7), Zouma (7), Azpilicueta (7), James (8), Jorginho (6), Kante (6), Pulisic (6), Mount (6), Willian (6), Abraham (6)

Subs: Kovacic (6), Hudson-Odoi (7)

Man of the match: Reece James

How Jahanbakhsh left Chelsea stunned

It was Azpilicueta who grabbed a moment of history early on, becoming the first Premier League player to score this decade when taking advantage of some sloppy Brighton marking from a corner as Chelsea looked set to build on their comeback victory at Arsenal on Saturday.

Frank Lampard's side looked comfortable with their intense pressing in midfield restricting opportunities to get up the pitch, with Aaron Mooy, so impressive against Bournemouth, completely stifled.

Only a Leandro Trossard drive from range tested Kepa Arrizabalaga just before half-time.

Aaron Connolly was sent on after the break to give Brighton a more direct option in the channels but it was Chelsea who continued to find space on the counter attack.

Christian Pulisic was the main beneficiary down the left, but his final ball was below the level required, with Mat Ryan thwarting two low strikes from him.

Callum Hudson-Odoi replaced Pulisic midway through the half as it only looked a matter of time before Chelsea doubled their lead.

However, Brighton stayed in the game and found their stride in the final 15 minutes with Connolly forcing Kepa to produce a fine point-blank save after a set-piece was not cleared.

That close call gave Brighton hope, and minutes later they were level when Jahanbakhsh pulled off a fine bicycle kick after Lewis Dunk's header caused confusion.

Brighton almost stole the points when Neal Maupay connected sweetly with Martin Montoya's cross but Kepa's concentration was first-class as he saved brilliantly with his feet.

The full-back spot at Chelsea looks in safe hands for years to come. After losing his place in the team after a sloppy performance at Everton, Lampard felt the time was right to bring James back in and the youngster repaid the faith with an assured and classy showing.

Brighton's tricky winger Trossard was marked out of the game by James, who gained possession 11 times - the most of any player. Lampard would have also been impressed by his quality in the final third as his athleticism to get up and down the right flank provided Chelsea with a potent weapon, especially in the first half.

Opta stats

This was Chelsea's first away Premier League draw this season - the Blues had won seven and lost three of their 10 previous games on the road this term.

Chelsea have scored more goals in 11 Premier League away games this season (25) than they managed on the road in the whole of 2018-19 (24).

Azpilicueta has scored three goals in his last 11 games in all competitions for Chelsea, as many as he had in his previous 118.

Despite only coming on as a 68th minute substitute, no Brighton player had more shots (3) or created more chances (3) than Alireza Jahanbakhsh.

What's next?

Brighton host Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, while Chelsea welcome Nottingham Forest.

Teams

Brighton & Hove Albion Ryan, Montoya, Webster, Dunk (c), Burn (Bernardo 22), Propper, Bissouma (Connolly 46), Alzate, Mooy (Jahanbakhsh 68), Trossard, Maupay
Subs Not Used Button, Duffy, Stephens, Gross
Booked Dunk, Maupay
Goals Jahanbakhsh 84

Chelsea Kepa, James, Rudiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta (c), Kante, Jorginho, Willian, Mount (Kovacic 73), Pulisic (Hudson-Odoi 66), Abraham
Subs Not Used Caballero, Lamptey, Christensen, Emerson, Batshuayi
Booked Zouma, Kovacic, James
Goals Azpilicueta 10

Attendance 30,559

Referee Graham Scott