Jamie Carragher was left in awe of Kaoru Mitoma’s sensational goal against Chelsea but didn’t hold back in criticizing Trevoh Chalobah, Malo Gusto, and Filip Jorgensen for their defensive lapses.
Brighton’s 3-0 victory at the Amex Stadium saw Mitoma break the deadlock in the 27th minute with a moment of sheer brilliance.
A long goal kick from Bart Verbruggen caught Chelsea’s defense off guard, allowing Mitoma to take an outrageous first touch before slotting past Jorgensen.
Just ten minutes later, Yankuba Minteh doubled Brighton’s lead after a slick move involving Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck, sending the home crowd into wild celebrations.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher was blown away by Mitoma’s technique.
“I cannot believe that first touch,” he said. “I said before the game how excited I was to watch Mitoma and Cole Palmer—two real throwback players. But that control? Wow. That’s Messi-like. One of the best goals we’ve seen this season.”
However, after replaying the goal, Carragher shifted his focus to Chelsea’s defensive errors.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the finish, but look at Chalobah and Gusto’s positioning,” he said. “Lamptey drags Gusto a little wider, which leaves Mitoma free. No one is tight enough to him.”
Carragher also questioned Jorgensen’s goalkeeping.
“It’s not necessarily a mistake, but top goalkeepers—like Liverpool’s or Arsenal’s—would have saved that.”
Gary Neville echoed Carragher’s sentiments, praising Mitoma’s composure but pointing out Chelsea’s defensive shortcomings.
“What Mitoma did was incredible—the touch, the shift inside, the finish. But the goalkeeper has to save it,” Neville said. “Chalobah should be attacking that ball in the air, and Jorgensen should be keeping it out. He gets a hand to it, but it’s weak.”
Despite their frustrations with Chelsea’s defending, both pundits agreed that Mitoma’s goal was a moment of magic that deserved to be celebrated.