Brighton defeated hapless Chelsea 3-0 as Japan forward Kaoru Mitoma produced a contender for Premier League goal of the season and Yankuba Minteh bagged a brace on Friday.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side delivered one of their worst performances of the season in their second defeat in the space of seven days at the Amex Stadium.
Mitoma scored the winner when Brighton knocked Chelsea out of the FA Cup fourth round with a 2-1 victory last weekend.
He tormented the Blues again with a breathtaking piece of skill in the first half before Gambia winger Minteh netted either side of the interval.
Maresca, in his first season in charge after arriving from Leicester, said this week that Chelsea “belong” in the Champions League, with the club setting him the target of qualifying within two years.
But Chelsea’s third defeat in their last four games in all competitions was another blow to their hopes of finishing in the top four.
Maresca will have to find a solution to Chelsea’s chronically error-prone defence if the fourth-placed Blues, two points ahead of Manchester City and Newcastle, are to achieve their target this term.
Thrashed 7-0 at Nottingham Forest in their previous league game, Brighton had won only two of their previous 12 top-flight matches.
The Seagulls have got back on track at Chelsea’s expense with a pair of impressive wins.
