“Victim of a flawed system,” “Deserves a much better team” – Fans feel sorry for 'extremely talented' Chelsea player after defeat against Brighton

Chelsea fans took to Twitter to defend record signing Enzo Fernandez after the Blues were defeated 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge (15 April).

Fernandez joined the Blues in a record £106.8 million deal for a period until 2031 from Benfica in the winter transfer window on 31 January. The central midfielder was recruited following his impressive 2022 FIFA World Cup performance where he was voted the Best Young Player after winning the competition with Argentina.

Enzo Fernandez is yet to score for Chelsea after 11 appearances and once again struggled against Brighton in their Premier League clash on Saturday. He had only 31 touches and won just half (4/8) of his ground duels. Moreover, he won zero tackles and created no chances before being substituted in the 57th minute by Frank Lampard.

Despite his struggles, fans took to Twitter to defend him. Instead of him, they pinned the blame on the team system:

The home side took the lead in the 12th minute via Conor Gallagher's strike which deflected off Lewis Dunk into the back of the net. Danny Welbeck responded for Brighton just before half-time.

The Seagull's resilience was rewarded in the 69th minute when 19-year-old Julio Enciso scored a screamer into the top left corner from 30 yards out to secure all three points.

Chelsea were dominated by Brighton in all departments. They only had 42 percent possession of the ball compared to the Seagulls' 58, and had way fewer shots on target with two compared to the away side's 10.

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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard admits Brighton deserved to win

Chelsea FC v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League

Frank Lampard admitted that Brighton were the deserved victors after Chelsea lost their third game in a row under his management.

He spoke to BBC (via football.london):

"I'm disappointed on every level. The better team won. They could have won by more. They played like a team. They've been together a long time. Not good enough. All the basic parts of football - to fight, to run - we were short on.

"Not a question of commitment as such. We have a big game on Tuesday [against Real Madrid]. There's no point being too down but we have to understand why today went the way it did."

He added:

"Some players physically couldn't be able to play Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday. Some of those changes were forced and some were opportunities. In a modern day squad, you have to be ready to come in."

Chelsea remain in 11th place with 39 points. They next face Real Madrid for their second leg in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge on April 18. The Blues are currently down 2-0 after their first-leg defeat.