Chelsea’s match at Stamford Bridge ended in frustration as Brighton came from behind to hand the Blues a 3-1 defeat in the Premier League. Enzo Maresca’s side had dominated the opening 45 minutes, deservedly taking the lead through Enzo Fernández, but a second-half red card to Trevoh Chalobah proved costly, Softfootball reports.
It was the second time in as many league matches that Chelsea had been reduced to ten men after goal keeper Robert Sanchez was sent off in the 2-1 loss against Manchester United last weekend, with Brighton also capitalising late on to secure all three points.
Speaking after the game to the press via the team’s official website, Maresca admitted that while his side showed control for long spells, costly errors continue to undermine their progress, he said;
It’s a tough one as we were in control of the game, we scored one and could’ve scored more,We didn’t concede anything and in terms of the data, we had so many shots in the first half and had 70 per cent possession. Everything was fine. Then, because of our mistake with the red card, the plan completely changed.
So, for me, we played two games: the one in the first half and then, unfortunately, another after the red card.
Chelsea had looked confident before the turning point, but once Chalobah was dismissed after a lengthy VAR review, Brighton took control. Goals from Danny Welbeck and Maxim De Cuyper in stoppage time sealed the visitors’ win, leaving Maresca frustrated at his side’s inability to maintain discipline in crucial moments.
The Italian coach stressed that these recurring mistakes must be cut out quickly if Chelsea are to remain competitive in the league, he said;
Against any team in the Premier League, you can’t continue to give away presents, because at this moment we are giving presents with red cards.
You cannot continue to make mistakes because they are big, game-changing mistakes; the red card against Manchester United and the red card today.
Maresca insisted that injuries played no part in the defeat, pointing instead to decision-making and discipline as the decisive factors, he stated;
We need to learn and we need to learn quickly. In terms of injuries, if you just watch the first half today you don’t think about the injured players because in the first half we were in control and dominated the game.
I would like to tell you something different, but the reality of the two games is that with two red cards, everything changed.”
Chelsea were gutted after the defeat which now means back to back defeats for the blues in the premier league, the team via its official X handle, did not post any post match reactions , only a bland statement of the loss, further showing the frustrations of losing at home and falling into the hands of defeat once again, see post below;
Chelsea will now have to to go back to the drawing board ahead of their next few fixtures, with Maresca hoping his players take these lessons on board quickly. With the Premier League schedule and the ucl tournament showing no signs of easing, the Blues must find a way to combine control with discipline if they are to turn good performances into results.
