Brighton hand Chelsea fifth straight defeat

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Chelsea’s season took another hit as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, increasing the pressure on manager Liam Rosenior.

Goals from Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck secured a comfortable win at the Amex Stadium, lifting Brighton above Chelsea into sixth place.

The result extended Chelsea’s poor run. They have now lost five consecutive league matches without scoring for the first time since 1912 and have just one win in their last nine league games. They sit seventh, seven points off the Champions League places.

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Brighton set the tone early. Kaoru Mitoma tested Robert Sanchez inside the opening minutes before Kadioglu opened the scoring in the third minute, reacting quickest after a corner was not cleared.

Chelsea struggled to respond. They failed to register a shot in the opening 30 minutes, with frustration growing among supporters. Trevoh Chalobah’s effort before half-time drew jeers rather than encouragement.

The second goal came in the 56th minute. After Chelsea appealed for a foul, Brighton broke quickly, with Georginio Rutter setting up Hinshelwood to finish.

Chelsea offered little in attack, and the result was sealed in stoppage time when Welbeck finished from close range after a cut-back from Maxim De Cuyper.

The defeat leaves Rosenior under pressure ahead of an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds. With their league form declining and the gap to the top five widening, Chelsea face a key period in their season.

– AFP

Photo: Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

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Dylan Johnson