Chelsea suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion in manager Graham Potter’s return to Amex Stadium since leaving the Seagulls for the Blues earlier this season.
Chelsea faced Brighton in their last Premier League meeting and ended the match suffering their first defeat since Potter took charge of the club.
The Blues were undefeated in the first nine games they’ve played since naming Potter as their manager. But their unbeaten run came to an end in Brighton, with the home team securing a 4-1 victory over Chelsea.
Brighton opened their scoring five minutes into the game, with Leandro Trossard giving them the lead.
Chelsea suffer a tough 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton
Thiago Silva lost possession in Chelsea’s defensive third and Brighton made the most of it. Trossard rounded off Kepa Arrizabalaga and put the ball into the net to make it 1-0.
Brighton doubled their lead in the 14th minute when Roben Loftus-Cheek conceded an own goal. The Chelsea midfielder inadvertently converted the ball into the Blues net from a Brighton corner.
The Stamford Bridge side then conceded another own goal in the 42nd minute to go down three goals. Moisés Caicedo released Pervis Estupiñán down the left and, in a desperate attempt to cut through the left-back’s cross, Trevoh Chalobah deflected the ball into the Chelsea net.
Chelsea started the second half strongly and closed the gap in the 48th minute of the game. Kai Havertz’s header from Conor Gallagher’s cross into the Brighton box sailed past Robert Sánchez and into the net.
However, the Blues could not find another goal to put pressure on Brighton. Indeed, as Chelsea desperately searched for a second goal, it was Brighton who scored.
Ending Chelsea’s slim hopes of an unlikely comeback, Brighton made it 4-1 in the 90+2 minute. Edouard Mendy made two saves to deny Julio Enciso, but Pascal Gross scored from the rebound to seal Brighton’s victory.
The loss leaves Chelsea fifth in the Premier League points table with 21 points from 12 games. They are three points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United, who have 24 points from 13 games.
Chelsea could drop to sixth in the points table if Man Utd secure a win over West Ham when the two teams meet on Sunday. Meanwhile, Brighton are eighth in the points table.
