Brighton welcome 2,524 socially distanced supporters for a friendly against Chelsea

Brighton has welcomed 2,524 socially distanced supporters for a friendly against Chelsea as crowds returned to the game two weeks before the new Premier League season begins.

Fans were made to keep a seat between them as they gathered at the Amex Stadium for Saturday’s friendly, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

There were plenty of hand sanitation points on the way to the ground and face coverings were required – with many choosing to sport the Seagulls’ blue and white colours – as fans queued to get in, but not when seated. 

The pre-season game was part of a number of pilot events announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for a phased return of spectators following the ban on mass gatherings introduced in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

While announcing the pilots, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, said: ‘I know fans and their teams can’t wait to be reunited in stadia across the country but it’s imperative we take a cautious and phased approach to get fans back in safely.

‘I’m pleased that infection rates have levelled off enough to resume the pilot programme and we will continue to work intensively with sports, medical and health and safety experts towards welcoming more fans back as fast as we can.’  

The next pilot will be Lewes FC v London Bees, a women’s pre-season friendly, on Sunday. 

At Brighton this afternoon, digital match ticket was scanned for entry into the stadium, with cashless transactions at kiosks and there was signage reminding fans of the need to regularly wash hands.

The seating arrangements led to an interesting view in the stands as lines of fans were broken up by vertical lines of empty chairs.  

When the action got under way, Chelsea – who have a number of players in quarantine after returning from their summer break and are following government guidelines on self-isolation – took an early lead after just four minutes.

Morocco international Hakim Ziyech, one of several new recruits, crossed for Callum Hudson-Odoi to knock the ball down and summer arrival Timo Werner slotted home.

Brighton had a chance to equalise five minutes into the second half after Lewis Dunk was pulled down by Antonio Rudiger to concede a penalty.

Blues goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who replaced Kepa Arrizabalaga at half-time, saved Neal Maupay’s spot-kick.

Chelsea winger Ziyech, a summer transfer from Ajax, was substituted after seeming to have twisted his knee.

During the closing stages, Seagulls stand-in keeper Christian Walton had to be taken off on a stretcher with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury after falling following a corner.

Brighton secured a draw in stoppage time when Aaron Connolly was fouled by Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Gross converted the penalty.

The Seagulls are set to host Chelsea again in their opening Premier League match on September 14, which is currently scheduled to be played behind closed doors.

Brighton boss Graham Potter hopes more fans will get the chance to see the team in action again soon.

‘I thought it was a fantastic day – a small step to getting back to normal as soon as we can safely do so,’ Potter told the club’s official website.

‘It was so nice to see fans here because as we know it brings a completely different dynamic to the stadium and I thought they made a lot of noise and really got involved in the game. Hopefully they enjoyed the performance as well.

‘I think people at the club deserve a lot of credit for the work that has gone in and hopefully it was the first successful step to a return to normal at some stage in the future.’