Brighton came from behind to defeat an ill-disciplined Chelsea side that saw a player sent off for the second Saturday in a row.
Substitutes Danny Welbeck and Maxim de Cuyper scored within 11 minutes of added time as the visitors capitalized on Trevoh Chalobah’s 53rd-minute red card.
The Blues had been coasting to victory in the first half when Enzo Fernandez headed in Reece James’s cross, following a deflection from Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma.
However, Mitoma played a key role in the game’s big turning point, as he won possession from Chelsea’s Andrey Santos on his first Premier League start, leading to Chalobah’s desperate challenge on Georginio Rutter.
Chalobah was ejected following a long video assistant referee review, just seven days after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off early in their 2-1 loss to Manchester United.
And Welbeck capitalized by scoring twice, his first coming shortly after coming in to head in the equalizer at the far post in the 77th minute.
De Cuyper then headed Brighton ahead from a corner in the second minute of stoppage time, before Welbeck scored from close range in the ninth to win the victory.
Chelsea, who dropped to sixth position, exited the field to boos. They haven’t won a Premier League match since the international break, and Liverpool is the next team to visit west London.
Meanwhile, Brighton moves up to the 10th spot following another strong performance against big six opponents.
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Midfielder Santos was the primary perpetrator, with Chalobah paying the price for attempting and failing to correct his teammate’s mistake.
The Brazilian midfielder lacks experience, and Chelsea is taking a risk by fielding the Premier League’s youngest squad.
Regardless, head coach Enzo Maresca will need to assist his players in eliminating mistakes and ill-discipline, as well as improving results following only one win in five games across all competitions.
That one win came in the Carabao Cup against League One club Lincoln City, which was an uninspiring 2-1 success.
Aside from the encounter, Chelsea conceded a last-minute equalizer at Brentford due to poor marking.
The Blues played well at Bayern Munich, but they conceded cheap goals against an experienced Champions League side. Sendings-off have lost them points in the last two league games, against Manchester United and Brighton.
The problems at Stamford Bridge are exacerbated by a selection crisis, with Maresca missing his four preferred center-backs, as well as top attacker Cole Palmer, for the following match against champions Liverpool.
Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Levi Colwill are all out injured until after the international break, and Chalobah has been suspended.
Marc Cucurella is regarded as one of the league’s greatest defensive left-backs, but Yankuba Minteh caused him numerous headaches over the course of 90 minutes.
His power, pace, and technique cause Cucurella all sorts of problems, eventually leading to Welbeck’s equalizer.
Minteh’s whipped cross for Welbeck broke down Chelsea in the 77th minute, after Maresca attempted to shore up his 10-man side by bringing on defenders Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, and Josh Acheampong, as well as defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia.
It began a wonderful return for Brighton, who have sold around £260 million in players and staff to Chelsea since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital purchased the London club in 2022.
Seagulls owner Tony Bloom’s recruitment strategy continues to produce players capable of competing with rivals like Chelsea. Even when Chelsea keeps signing their top players.
When asked if the results will lead to Chelsea signing more of his players, Hurzeler answered, “I need to talk to Tony. We should avoid these changes!
“It’s football. You have to accept it. That’s the normal business—so it’s more about finding solutions and getting results.”
The Austrian manager deserves credit for his replacements, which included not only Welbeck and De Cuyper scoring but also Mats Wieffer and Brajan Gruda assisting.
