BLUES ARE BATTERED
Brighton rock to ensure an unhappy return to the seaside for Potter
OF all the places for Graham Potter to suffer his first Chelsea defeat and especially one like this.
And of all the teams for Roberto De Zerbi to claim his first Brighton win against.
On this most memorable of afternoons for Brighton and their new manager, the message from Brighton was clear — you can take our manager, left-back and a host of staff but you won’t turn up here and leave with the three points too.
There are some things, they might say, that money cannot buy.
After five games without a win under Potter’s successor De Zerbi this particular one, with all the circumstances surrounding it, seemed to be what Brighton needed.
They played with the fearlessness and belief against big-name opposition, as they took the game to Chelsea from the off, that Potter is credited with instilling in them during his time in charge at the Amex.
With the help of a defensive nightmare from Chelsea, Brighton raced into a three-goal lead by half-time.
And though Potter’s half-time changes brought Chelsea back into it, the bulk of the damage was already done.
De Zerbi’s reign belatedly has lift off and a statement win to start that process too, Brighton’s 100th in the top flight and first ever in the league against Chelsea. The Italian, who left his previous coaching role at Shakhtar Donetsk following the invasion by Russia earlier this year, said: ‘Today I am very happy for myself, for my staff because we have been through eight really tough months.
‘I had already a team, a great team that (Vladimir) Putin decided to take away from me.
‘In this moment I have found another team. I have to be thankful with the players of Brighton, with the club, how they have welcomed me and how I have felt straight away since the first moment that they trust me.’
Potter, meanwhile, was left contemplating a first defeat after a nine-game unbeaten start to his Chelsea reign at perhaps the last place he would have wished to suffer it, his former club.
The humiliating nature of the first half especially, as Chelsea were tactically outwitted, overwhelmed and crumbled, would have been added salt in his wounds.
To his credit, Potter refused to put the blame on his players. He said: ‘Brighton are a good side, I know that and with the crowd and the atmosphere they created, they put you under pressure.
‘I’m not going to throw the players under the bus at all because they’ve been brilliant for us — they’ve given everything for me.
‘I have to take responsibility and try to find a way for us to do better.’
It is a shame for him that his players were not as defiant.
Signs that Chelsea were unsettled were present almost instantly. Thiago Silva had to produce two goalline headed clearances.
The first was from his own error but he did not learn his lesson and saw his attempted pass out intercepted by Leandro Trossard who kept his feet to squeeze the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga after trading passes with Kaoru Mitoma.
Brighton were rampant and Chelsea rattled. Kepa came for and missed a cross. Cucurella played a pass straight out of play during a return to forget as he tried to contain Solly March and was subbed just after the hour, all of his misfortune much to Brighton’s delight.
Mateo Kovacic was booked. And things got even worse for Chelsea when March’s corner was turned into his own net by Ruben LoftusCheek.
Both goals were celebrated with extra enthusiasm, especially by the Brighton supporters near the dugout with one in particular relishing directing jibes towards Potter. ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning,’ many others sang to him at that point and later ‘Potter, Potter what’s the score?’ as Brighton’s supporters revelled in their chance to taunt Chelsea in multiple ways.
Chelsea badly needed a foothold in the game and Conor Gallagher — twice denied brilliantly by Robert Sanchez — and Havertz had chances to help them do that.
But Brighton were far from done and their first half got even better when Estupinan, a constant, raiding threat down the left, saw his cross turned into his own net by Trevoh Chalobah.
The Amex was jumping and Brighton did not want the first
period to end. Half-time could not come soon enough for Chelsea or Potter, who was first down the tunnel.
One thing Brighton would have fully expected was that Potter would take his chance to change things.
Chelsea went to a fluid 4-1-4-1 with Loftus-Cheek filling in as an emergency right-back while Kepa also had to come off with a foot injury, meaning a first appearance since the start of September for Edouard Mendy.
It had been a busy afternoon for Loftus-Cheek, who had been required to drop in as a centre-back at times during the first half in response to March stretching Chelsea’s defence by dragging Cucurella right out to the touchline, the flanks continuing to be an area of concern for Chelsea.
Almost instantly Potter’s tweaks paid off. Loftus-Cheek made progress down the right and checked back, laying the ball to Gallagher, whose first-time cross was headed in by Kai Havertz.
Further dangerous moments from the repositioned Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek and also Havertz further underlined Chelsea’s renewed threat.
Potter increased it further by introducing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who extended Sanchez with his first major involvement of the game
As Chelsea continued to push the danger, Brighton posed on the break remained live and only some far more composed defending from Silva than he produced in the first half denied substitute Julio Enciso a fourth.
But that eventually came in injury time when Mendy kept out efforts from Trossard and Enciso but could not stop a fourth from Pascal Gross.