Brighton defeated Chelsea 2-1 at the Amex Stadium to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Despite making several changes to his starting lineup, Enzo Maresca’s side struggled, as Brighton overcame an early setback to claim victory.
Chelsea took the lead inside eight minutes when Cole Palmer’s low cross was fumbled into the net by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. However, the hosts responded quickly, with Georginio Rutter heading home the equalizer just four minutes later.
In the second half, Kaoru Mitoma secured the win for Brighton, capitalizing on Chelsea’s poor defending to chip the ball over Robert Sánchez in the 57th minute.
Maresca made several rotations, handing starts to Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jadon Sancho, and Pedro Neto, while Moises Caicedo captained the team in the absence of Reece James and Enzo Fernández.
Meanwhile, January signing Amougou and returning loanee Anselmino made the bench.
Full match report below.
First-Half Report: Brighton 1-1 Chelsea
Chelsea started the game with intensity, creating an early opportunity through Cole Palmer. The forward found himself in space after Neto shrugged past Lamptey and laid the ball off to Sancho, who teed up Palmer for a first-time shot.
However, Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was equal to it, tipping the effort over the bar.
Despite the early save, Verbruggen would soon endure a nightmare moment. In the eighth minute, Chelsea won a corner and went short.
Sancho clipped the ball back across the box to Palmer on the left, and the Chelsea talisman delivered a simple ball across the six-yard box. This time, Verbruggen fumbled it into his own net, gifting Chelsea the lead.
It was a disastrous moment for the Brighton goalkeeper, who had already been under scrutiny after conceding seven goals last weekend.
Chelsea’s lead lasted only four minutes as Brighton responded swiftly and effectively.
Lamptey surged down the left flank and delivered a cross, which Chalobah initially cleared. However, the ball fell to Minteh, who played it to Hinshelwood.
The midfielder curled in a perfect cross to the unmarked Georginio Rutter, who powered a header past Sanchez to bring Brighton level.
A brilliant response from the home side, who grew in confidence after the equalizer. From that moment on, they arguably had the better of the first half.
Second-Half Report:
Brighton dominated the second half, piling pressure on a lackluster Chelsea side, and they got their reward in the 57th minute through Kaoru Mitoma.
The hosts continued to push forward, and it was Georginio Rutter who started the move. The forward played the ball out to Mitoma on the left, who used his pace to race away from his marker. Although his initial cross failed to find a teammate, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was unable to clear the danger.
Rutter regained possession and played Mitoma through on goal for a second opportunity. This time, the Japanese winger made no mistake, lifting the ball delicately over Robert Sánchez to give Brighton a deserved lead.
Chelsea offered little going forward, with Brighton remaining the more dangerous side.
The home crowd thought they might have a chance to extend their advantage when João Pedro went down in the penalty area after a tussle with Malo Gusto, but the referee waved away appeals for a penalty.
Despite making substitutions, Chelsea failed to create meaningful chances, and Brighton saw out the game comfortably.
Chelsea will have an immediate chance to redeem themselves when they face Brighton again in the Premier League next Friday.
With the race for a top-four finish still in their hands, Maresca and his team must make significant improvements after this poor display.
