It affects us - Hato frustrated after back-to-back red cards

Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato has admitted his frustration after the Blues once again suffered the consequences of an early red card in their 3–1 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge.

The result followed a similar scenario against Manchester United last weekend, when a defensive error led to goalkeeper Robert Sánchez being sent off after just five minutes.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Hato described the defeat on his home debut as “very disappointing” and stressed that the team must improve their discipline.

“I would say the first half was good from our side. We had a lot of possession, we created chances, we scored to make it 1-0 as well. We were playing well and scored a good goal,” Hato explained.

“In the second half, after 10 minutes we got a red card and went down to 10 men. After that we knew it was going to be a difficult game, but all I can say is that this loss is very disappointing.”

The 18-year-old defender admitted that playing with a man less in consecutive matches has been costly.

“Of course in the last game against Man United in the first half we also had a red card, and now it happened again. You can see it just affects the game when we are down to 10 men against 11, and we did it for nearly 40 minutes yesterday. You can see it’s very difficult," he added.

Hato also reflected on how Brighton capitalised on the numerical advantage.

He continued, “We knew, of course, they would be playing on the sides and coming in with crosses. I think we could have done better, for sure. We’re very disappointed because we knew it would be difficult, but I think we didn’t give a lot of chances away before their equaliser. So, as I said, we’re very disappointed.”

Chelsea’s defeat leaves them struggling for consistency as Enzo Maresca’s side continues to battle with disciplinary lapses and missed opportunities.