Graham Porter was on the road for the first time to face his former side since his move to Chelsea. The Blues boss anticipated a memorable return with a win against the Seagulls on their own ground. Having played nine games under Porter without losing a single match, Chelsea were confident to walk back home with all 3 points. They would have loved to shake off their disappointment against Manchester United, missing the win by a whisker in that game.
Brighton, on the other hand, had played 5 games under De Zerbi without a single win. There was a little bit of worry on the ground that the team was missing their former manager. However, with difficult first fixtures for De Zerbi, there was no desperation to amass victories. Brighton were coming into this match as the underdogs. Anything but a win was the expected outcome for the Seagulls.
Brighton dominant in first half
Following an enthralling encounter between the two sides, Brighton emerged victorious thrashing Chelsea 4 goals to 1. Trossard opened the scoring for Brighton before own goals from Loftus-Cheek and Chalobah saw the Seagulls go three nil up. All these came in the first half, with Brighton exhibiting a dominant display against the Blues.
Game evens out in the second half
The beginning of the second half saw the introduction of Mendy, with Kepa staying in the dugout injured. Chelsea started out with a resurgent mood, with Havertz scoring to reward their renewed attitude. The Blues kept on knocking on the door forcing Sanchez to make good saves to keep Brighton’s lead secure. De Zerbi’s men managed to whither the storm and keep Chelsea at bay for the remainder of the match. Towards the dying embers of the game, Gross finished a rebound shot parried by Mendy to make it 4 goals for the Seagulls.
What this outcome means
This defeat makes it the first for Potter as Chelsea manager while handing De Zerbi his first win as Brighton coach. Brighton needed a win to herald them in the right direction, and this win will do just that. Chelsea will have to go back to the drawing board as their previous displays have been far from set standards. Their defeat today is a culmination of successive underwhelming performances, and Potter would want to correct that.