AliousChelsea’s Collapse Against Brighton Sparks Fury as Seagulls Extend Stunning 2025 Record*
Chelsea endured another miserable afternoon at Stamford Bridge as they fell 3-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion, prompting scathing criticism from ex-defender Jason Cundy. The result continued a grim trend for Enzo Maresca’s side, who have now lost three of their last four matches in all competitions.
The Blues were without their creative spark Cole Palmer, sidelined for up to three weeks with a groin injury, but still hoped to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United. Things started well when Reece James’ deflected cross in the 24th minute was nodded in by Enzo Fernandez, giving Chelsea a half-time lead.
However, the second half unraveled quickly. Trevoh Chalobah was shown a red card just eight minutes after the restart for bringing down Diego Gomez following a costly Andrey Santos error. Brighton grew into the game and eventually levelled in the 77th minute, as Yankuba Minteh skinned Malo Gusto and crossed for Danny Welbeck to head past Robert Sanchez.
The Seagulls then snatched victory in stoppage time when Mats Wieffer’s header found Maxim De Cuyper, who fired in from close range. The misery deepened in the 100th minute as Welbeck struck again, dinking the ball over Sanchez after neat play from Minteh and Brajan Gruda.
Chelsea’s collapse highlighted familiar issues—reckless errors and a lack of discipline. Sanchez himself had already been sent off against Manchester United the previous week, underlining a worrying trend. Meanwhile, Brighton’s dominance over Chelsea this year is staggering; they have now beaten the Blues three times in 2025 alone, following February’s FA Cup win and a thumping 3-0 league triumph just days later.
Cundy, who made 53 appearances for Chelsea, pulled no punches: *“The whole second half was an absolute disaster. I didn’t see this coming at half-time,”* he told the *Chelsea Chronicle*.
Boos rang around Stamford Bridge at full-time as Maresca’s men dropped to eighth in the Premier League, with just two wins from six matches and already seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool. For a side aiming to chase down Liverpool and Arsenal, the gap looks daunting.
Chelsea’s heavy investment in youth means inconsistency was always a risk, but supporters are already growing restless. Brighton, by contrast, will relish another memorable scalp against a club that has repeatedly poached their talent, including Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and Robert Sanchez. Despite those losses, the Seagulls continue to outshine their London rivals.
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