Brighton come from behind to beat Chelsea
Brighton & Hove Albion 2 - 1 Chelsea
Brighton staged an impressive comeback to knock Chelsea out of the FA Cup and secure their place in the fifth round.
Chelsea took a somewhat fortunate lead early on when Cole Palmer’s lofted cross from the left was spilled into his own net by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
But the Seagulls responded well, with Georginio Rutter heading home from Joel Veltman’s delivery to bring them level. The turnaround was completed when Rutter turned provider, picking out Kaoru Mitoma—whose £54m move to Saudi side Al-Nassr fell through before the transfer deadline—who calmly lifted the ball over Robert Sánchez.
Chelsea were incensed, arguing the goal should have been disallowed after the ball struck Tariq Lamptey’s arm in the build-up. However, with no VAR in operation for the fourth round, their protests were waved away.
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Remarkably, Brighton’s two goals came from their only efforts on target in the first hour. Despite naming a strong side, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea rarely threatened an equaliser, with Enzo Fernández blazing over in one of their few openings. The result extends their winless run away from home to five matches.
The two sides will meet again at the Amex on Friday in the Premier League, where Chelsea, despite this cup setback, remain six places and nine points above their hosts.
The view from the stands
Elizabeth, a Brighton fan, said: "That was the perfect way to bounce back from that 7-0 thrashing against Nottingham Forest. Initially, I said it was odd that we didn’t make many changes to the side that lost that match, but it was the right decision. The boss, Fabian Hürzeler, will be pleased he gave those players a chance to make amends. The season now has a new focus and I’d love for us to reach the FA Cup final."
Lauren Waterman, a Chelsea fan, was far from impressed: "We haven’t won a domestic trophy since 2018, and haven’t won any silverware since 2022. Under the new ownership, we’ve reached just one final, only to sack the head coach afterwards when he pushed for proper squad building. This was probably one of our best chances to win something, and we failed miserably. The Conference League is now our only shot at a trophy this season."
