Chelsea’s 12-match unbeaten run in home Premier League games was ended as Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to beat the 10-man Blues 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
After picking up just five points from five league games this season – their slowest start to a league campaign in six years – Brighton fans were looking for a lift, especially after throwing away a two-goal lead to Tottenham last time out.
However, it was Chelsea who took control of the contest from the off, aiming to bounce back from their first defeat of the season against Manchester United last week.
A pair of free-kicks from Enzo Fernandez and Reece James tested Bart Verbruggen early on, and following a period of pressure, the Blues had a deserved lead.
Moises Caicedo was the architect, threading through a clever ball to James, who saw his deflected cross from the right headed over the line by an unmarked Fernandez at the back post.
The Blues rarely appeared troubled in the first period, but chances to extend their advantage weren’t forthcoming either.
The Seagulls had seen goals on either side of the break in 12 of their last 13 league games, offering hope of a turnaround that wasn’t on the cards based on the first 45 minutes.
With that said, Chelsea had won each of their last eight Premier League encounters in which they had scored first, but another calamitous red card threatened to derail that run.
A defensive lapse from Andrey Santos put Diego Gomez through on goal, and only an intervention from Trevoh Chalobah prevented a shot, leading to the centre-back’s dismissal after an on-field review deemed it a denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
Playing with 10 men for a second week running, the Blues were no longer the dominant force, with a few ‘nearly moments’ from the visitors causing Chelsea issues. A golden chance arrived when Danny Welbeck was the first to react to a loose ball, but he could only guide his effort wide on the stretch as the game entered the final quarter-hour.
Still on the back foot, Chelsea’s resolve was eventually broken in the 77th minute when Welbeck positioned himself in a dangerous area to head home Yankuba Minteh’s cross from close range.
With time running out, a VAR call went Chelsea’s way as Malo Gusto got away with a potentially dangerous clearance, and the resulting fracas came to nothing.
But the hosts couldn’t survive until full-time, as Maxim De Cuyper nodded in his first goal for Brighton, and Welbeck bagged his brace after a quick transition in the dying moments, confirming all three points.
It’s a result that will delight travelling fans, who will not be bothered by just one clean sheet in 18 Premier League games, while Blues supporters will no doubt be gutted by a game that pivoted on a lapse in concentration and a rash challenge.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Danny Welbeck (Brighton & Hove Albion)
