Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took a huge hit after losing to Brighton for the second time in a week, falling to a 3-0 defeat in the Premier League.
The Blues delivered a first-half performance that fans have become all too familiar with in the last few years. There were flashes of danger from the frontline, but no real purpose in their attacks, which was reflected in the players heading down the tunnel having failed to register a shot on target.
It was even worse at the back. The visitors always looked vulnerable and with the attacking talent Brighton had available, it was only a matter of time before they were punished.
Just 27 minutes in, the deadlock was broken with a bit of magic from Kaoru Mitoma. A long ball from his own box by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was plucked out of the sky by the winger, who cut inside Trevoh Chalobah before finishing past Filip Jorgensen in goal.
Eleven minutes later it was 2-0. Brighton carved their way through the Chelsea defence again and Georginio Rutter’s deflected cross fell to Danny Welbeck, who teed up Yankuba Minteh to smash home and double the hosts’ lead.
Enzo Maresca’s men showed no signs of mounting a comeback in the second period, offering more of the same lethargic, ineffective patterns that allowed Brighton to coast towards victory.
To nobody’s surprise, the hosts added a third in the 63rd minute, Minteh grabbing his brace after being played through by Danny Welbeck in the box, with the veteran pocketing his second assist of the night.
Chelsea were lucky not to concede more goals, with Joel Veltman hitting the post late on and both Carlos Baleba and Joao Pedro missing good chances.
A few months ago, many were labelling the Blues as title contenders, but now they may even be considered outsiders for the top four places as their season continues to come crashing down.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from the Amex Stadium…