Chelsea capitulated in the second half against Brighton as Trevoh Chalobah was sent off and the visitors struck three times to claim a shock 3-1 win. Enzo Fernandez had given the Blues the lead but Danny Welbeck scored twice, with Maxim De Cuyper also on target, as the Blues fell apart and lost more ground in their quest to challenge at the Premier League's summit.
Enzo Maresca's side made a fast start to the game and after Bart Verbruggen made two smart saves to deny both Fernandez and Reece James, he was powerless to prevent the opening goal. A delicious through ball from Moises Caicedo set James on his way, with the Blues skipper crossing for Fernandez to nod home.
Then came the moment that changed everything as, early on in the second half, a hopeless stray pass from Andrey Santos gave the ball to Diego Gomez, who raced through on goal before being brought down by Chalobah. A VAR review followed, with Simon Hooper eventually issuing a red card to the England international.
It went from bad to worse thereafter, with Brighton's pressure eventually telling. Welbeck, who had already stabbed a half-volley inches wide, powered a header home from close range before De Cuyper nodded past Robert Sanchez in stoppage time to make it 2-1. Former Manchester United striker Welbeck still had time to loop the ball high into the net for his second, and the Seagulls' third, in the final seconds, piling on the misery for Marseca on what turned out to be a complete nightmare of an afternoon for the Italian and his team.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
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Robert Sanchez (6/10):
Made amends for last weekend's horror show at Old Trafford as he dealt with looping crosses, tried to instigate quick counter-attacks and intelligently came off his line to halt promising Brighton attacks. Would've been at least one or two more goals if it wasn't for him.
Reece James (7/10):
An assured display that saw him gallop forward and claim the assist for Fernandez's opener, as well as defending resolutely. Encouraging that he managed to play on despite appearing to twist his ankle, too, given all his previous injury issues.
Trevoh Chalobah (2/10):
His crazy decision to attempt to make a challenge as Diego Gomez raced through on goal led to a tangle of legs and the inevitable red card that changed everything. Awful.
Jorrel Hato (5/10):
Doubled up with Cucurella to deal with the considerable threat of Minteh and had to be even more alert after Chalobah's red. Taken off straight after Welbeck scored his first having gone missing in the middle.
Marc Cucurella (5/10):
Had a difficult assignment up against the pacey Minteh but stuck to his task and limited the Brighton winger's threat. A bit too fired up against his former team, though, resulting in a rash booking in a game where Chelsea needed calm heads.
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Andrey Santos (3/10):
Ruined his day with the clumsy touch and wayward pass that inadvertently set Brighton away and led to Chalobah's red card. Hooked immediately after.
Moises Caicedo (7/10):
Consistently snuffed out Brighton attacks and his wonderful ball through sent James in behind for Chelsea's first goal. Life became more difficult for him after the Chalobah red, though.
Enzo Fernandez (7/10):
His bright start to the game was rewarded with a goal and he must have covered every blade of grass over the 90 minutes. The capitulation certainly wasn't down to him.
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Estevao (7/10):
Livewire. Shades of Eden Hazard with his silky touches and jinking runs, albeit there was no end product today. Sacrificed for Gusto as Maresca looked to shut up shop and hold onto the lead, which obviously didn't work.
Joao Pedro (5/10):
Played the No.9 role well in the first half as he dropped deep and linked attacks but wasn't really his day in front of goal as his team-mates failed to create any big chances for him.
Pedro Neto (4/10):
So pleasing on the eye when he gets his head down and drives forward but there was a frustrating lack of end product that Blues fans will be all too familiar with. Replaced after the equaliser.
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Josh Acheampong (3/10):
Brought on to fill the hole at centre-back after Chalobah's red card and should've got much tighter to Welbeck for the equaliser before his mistake then led to the third goal.
Malo Gusto (3/10):
Came on midway through the second half and frustrated the Stamford Bridge punters with his lack of invention before failing to stop the cross that led to Welbeck's goal. Might've given away a penalty, too, for a reckless high boot. A woeful cameo.
Benoit Badiashile (N/A):
Replaced Hato for the final 10 minutes and scrapped with Lewis Dunk as a number of Chelsea players lost their heads.
Romeo Lavia (N/A):
On for Pedro Neto as Maresca sensed the danger of a possible Brighton winner, which inevitably came.
Enzo Maresca (3/10):
What a nightmare. Everything looked to be going according to plan until Chalobah's red card and he clearly didn't have the answers as Brighton turned the screw. If anything, the introductions of Acheampong and Gusto made things a lot worse.
