Chelsea self-destructed after a positive start to fall to a 3-1 defeat by Brighton at Stamford Bridge. The Blues came into the match in top gear, playing attractive attacking football and had Brighton pinned. Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring with a routine header after 24 minutes to open the scoring, but that was the extent of Chelsea’s joy on the day.
Brighton grew back into the game but could not trim Chelsea’s advantage before the break. Trevoh Chalobah was sent off early in the second half, though, and everything began to unravel. They clung on for another twenty minutes before Danny Welbeck pulled one back for the visitors. Maxime De Cuyper headed home a winner in injury time, before Welbeck added his second to complete the turnaround.
It has been a challenging week for the world champions, marked by injury woes and underwhelming performances, and the mood around Stamford Bridge is only set to grow dimmer. With Benfica visiting in the Champions League this week, Enzo Maresca has some tough questions to answer. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are without a victory in their last two top-flight matches, with a defeat at Manchester United and a frustrating draw with Brentford prior to that. The Seagulls come to SW6 after a slow start to the campaign that has them down in 14th place.
However, as Chelsea found out last season, Brighton are always tough opposition. The Blues will need to be at their best – or something close to that, at least – if they are to come away with maximum points this afternoon.
Kick-off at Stamford Bridge is scheduled for 3pm. You can follow live coverage from west London, with Bobby Vincent present at the game to provide detailed updates and analysis.
