Chelsea player caught in an ‘ungrateful’ moment during Brighton win
Chelsea star Joao Pedro faced some criticism on social media for how he celebrated during their exciting 4-3 win over Brighton.
On Saturday, Chelsea made it three wins in a row under new manager Xabi Alonso, beating Brighton and Hove Albion in a thrilling Premier League game. Goals from Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro, and Cole Palmer helped Chelsea secure the win, while Malick Yalcouye, an own goal from Pedro, and a late effort from Pascal Gross gave Brighton hope of a comeback.
The Stamford Bridge crowd was buzzing at the final whistle, with the win moving Chelsea up to third place in the league. Next up is a tough game against local rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
However, not everyone at the match was happy. Brighton fans showed their displeasure towards Pedro, who played for their club two seasons before joining Chelsea in July 2025, by booing him throughout the match. Pedro missed a big chance early on, firing wide from close range, which added fuel to their jeers.
But Pedro made up for it by scoring Chelsea’s third goal, which looked like it put the game beyond Brighton’s reach. After scoring, he celebrated by running over to the Brighton fans, which some saw as provocative. Earlier in the game, he also responded to the boos by pointing to Chelsea’s Club World Cup badge and the scoreboard.
Usually, players show respect when facing their former clubs, and former Brighton winger Anthony Knockaert took to social media to call out Pedro’s celebrations. On Instagram, Knockaert wrote, “Don’t forget what Brighton did for you mate. Ungrateful.”
Pedro, however, said there was no bad intention in his celebrations. “I just celebrate; it could be any fans, any team. I just want to do my celebration,” he told BBC Sport.
About the match, he added, “We started well but then gave away some goals. We need to stay consistent and not give the other team energy. Dibu [Emiliano Martinez] showed his quality again. Step by step, we’ll get to our best level. It was very important to get the three points today.”
Pedro also spoke about playing against Brighton. “I know Brighton well and I know I can be a threat on the counterattack. Today, I showed my speed up front. We have strong players in every position and need to build confidence and teamwork to keep winning like today.”
So far this season, Pedro has scored two goals and made two assists in his first two league games.
During his time at Brighton, Pedro played 70 games, scored 30 goals, and helped with 10 assists.