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Chelsea fell to a humbling 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at the American Express Stadium in the Premier League on Friday, February 14.
As a result, the Blues remain fourth in the table with 43 points from 25 games. Manchester City will have a chance to overtake them as they trail by two points. Meanwhile, the Seagulls climb into eighth place above Aston Villa on goal difference, with both clubs on 37 points.
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Chelsea made a bright start to the contest and dominated possession in the first half. They made good moves to arrive in Brighton's box but failed to hit the target multiple times. The Blues also faced an early setback as Noni Madueke was subbed off with an injury, with Jadon Sancho stepping in to replace him. Shortly after, Brighton took control of proceedings.
Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's searching long ball found Kaoru Mitoma, who brought the ball down with a delicate touch. He then dribbled past Trevoh Chalobah with two quick touches before tucking the ball into the bottom-right corner. Yankuba Minteh then made it 2-0 just 11 minutes later from an assist by Danny Welbeck. The hosts led at the break.
The second half was a similar story in terms of possession as Chelsea kept the ball for extended spells. However, they looked vulnerable each time Brighton had the ball, and conceded a third goal shortly after the hour mark. The same pair that combined for the second goal produced a real-time replay as Welbeck assited Minteh for 3-0.
Both Enzo Maresca and Fabian Hurzeler made multiple changes to manage the minutes for their players as the game progressed. Malo Gusto picked up an injury, allowing Chelsea fan-favourite Reece James to be subbed on. However the Blues failed to hit the target in the second half as well as they fell to a big defeat.
On that note, let's take a look at their player ratings.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Filip Jorgensen - 6/10
Jorgensen had a mixed game in goal for the Blues as he made three saves, but also made one error that led to a shot, which Joao Pedro failed to convert.
Malo Gusto - 6.5/10
Gusto had a decent game at the back as he won three duels, making two tackles and one interception. However, he was subbed off in the second half after picking up a knock.
Trevoh Chalobah - 6.5/10
Chalobah could not keep up with Mitoma for Brighton's first goal, but won five duels and made two interceptions and three clearances.
Levi Colwill - 6.5/10
Colwill won eight duels in defence and also made three clearances and one block, but went down too easily in the build-up to Brighton's third goal.
Marc Cucurella - 6.5/10
Cucurella won seven duels, making two clearances and one interception. He also played one key pass and one cross which unfortunately did not amount to much.
Moises Caicedo - 6.5/10
Caicedo was sharp with the ball for Chelsea, as shown by his 94% passing accuracy. He also won three duels and made one interception but picked up a booking for a foul in the first half.
Enzo Fernandez - 6.5/10
Enzo won seven duels in midfield and also made one clearance and one interception. However, he was dispossessed a staggering 22 times and also picked up a booking.
Noni Madueke - 6.5/10
Madueke played just 20 minutes before picking up an injury and was replaced by Jadon Sancho.
Cole Palmer - 6/10
Palmer failed to influence any of Chelsea's attacks as he was unable to play a line-breaking pass, or complete any of his five crosses. He was also dispossessed 13 times.
Pedro Neto - 6/10
Neto looked off-colour in the final third as he attempted two shots but failed to hit the target, with one of them being a big chance to score. He was also dispossessed 12 times.
Christopher Nkunku - 6/10
Nkunku had a poor game as he did not attempt a single shot, failed to win any of his three duels, and also could not complete his solitary cross attempt.
Substitutes
Jadon Sancho - 6/10
Sancho replaced Madueke early in the game but failed to make an impact. He lost multiple duels and gave the ball away several times.
Reece James - 6.5/10
James was brought on to replace the injured Gusto and put in a decent performance towards the end of the game.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 6.5/10
He replaced Caicedo in the second half and put in a decent cameo for Chelsea.
Tyrique George - 6.5/10
George showed glimpses of his brilliance on the ball with some quick feet but could not play a good final ball into the box.
