Chelsea struggles continue as Brighton punish 10-man Blues at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea were outplayed and outfought as they crumbled at home against a clinical Brighton side, extending their bad run to just one win in their last four games.

Chelsea 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 Fernández 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 Fernández at the back post. 

However, a defensive lapse by Andrey Santos allowed Diego Gómez a clear path to goal, prompting a foul by Trevoh Chalobah that resulted in the centre-back’s dismissal for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Reduced to ten men for the second consecutive week, the Blues lost their dominance and conceded in the 77th minute when Danny Welbeck positioned himself perfectly to head home Yankuba Minteh’s close-range cross.

Maxim De Cuyper nodded in his first goal for Brighton, and Welbeck completed his brace after a quick transition in the dying moments to confirm all three points for the visitors.