On Saturday Chelsea endured a humiliating 4-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge. Despite taking the lead, they went on to lose that game 3-1. The game was a microcosm of the problem Chelsea faced, with everything from the red card to their missed chances highlighting their issues. That is now three straight league matches without a win for Chelsea. Their recent form makes grim reading as they have only won one of their past five outings in all competitions.
Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager, had rung the changes, making two altogether to his winning XI. He made the move following the team’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United last Saturday. Jorrel Hato filled in for the injured Wesley Fofana at the back. At the same time, Andrey Santos had moved into midfield to cover for the loss of Cole Palmer. Chelsea’s XI that day featured Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Estevao, Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro.
Brighton fielded almost the same lineup as in their last match — a 2-2 draw against Tottenham. Diego Gomez stole the show with four goals midweek in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley and should now be in contention for a starting spot. Brighton had Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke; Kadioglu, Baleba, Gomez, Ayari; Minteh, Georginio, Mitoma.
A Rocky Start for Chelsea
The match started with Chelsea wanting to stamp their authority from the outset. Their efforts paid off when Enzo Fernandez scored with a well-placed header midway through the first half, giving Chelsea a deserved lead. The home support in Stamford Bridge greeted this news with celebration, dreaming of a long overdue home win.
Chelsea’s luck ran out seconds after halftime. First, Trevoh Chalobah was sent off with a straight red card in the 53rd minute to reduce Chelsea to 10 men. The important penalty miss changed the course of the match, giving Brighton the opportunity to benefit from their extra player.
“Chelsea have to keep players on the pitch. You look at the last two fixtures and you are thinking six points for Chelsea.” – Paul Merson
The loss of Chalobah proved costly. Despite Chelsea’s earlier control of the game, they struggled to maintain their lead and manage Brighton’s relentless attack.
Brighton’s Resilient Response
Brighton made Chelsea pay for the opportunity presented by the red card. They ramped up their attacking intensity, generating a number of opportunities as they looked to draw level. Brighton had some controversial periods throughout the game. A second high-boot challenge by Chelsea’s Malo Gusto on Yankuba Minteh incited their protests, but both the pitch-side referee and VAR officials waved away their appeals for a spot kick.
As the match approached full time, the Seagulls came into their own and started calling the shots. After leading 3–1, the visitors shocked the home crowd by scoring two goals in stoppage time. Goals from Maxim De Cuyper and Danny Welbeck brought them back quickly, swinging the tide of the game. Their collective play earned a hard-fought 3-1 win to Brighton.
“The games are very tight; there are always small margins that make the difference. Today the small margins were on our side.” – Fabian Hurzeler
This dramatic late surge capped a stunning comeback for Brighton, while underscoring Chelsea’s lingering problems this season.
Reflecting on Chelsea’s Challenges
After the game, Enzo Maresca spoke about his team’s performance and how there is work to be done. He stressed that the players need to learn not to make mistakes that will lose them points in later games.
“The message that we just said inside is clear: against any team in the Premier League, you cannot continue to give away presents.” – Enzo Maresca
Maresca’s comments reflect a growing concern regarding Chelsea’s consistency and ability to maintain control during critical moments of matches. Now they find themselves in a very tenuous spot in the league table. Turning their fortunes around is the question on everybody’s mind.
Even pundits like Paul Merson were expressing feelings along these lines about Chelsea’s recent form. He was particularly concerned by their lack of conviction all over the pitch.
“They are a million miles from being convincing. They have a 20-minute spell in the game where you think ‘wow! They are good’.” – Paul Merson
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