Premier League: Brighton crush Chelsea with a stunning 3-0 victory
What's the story
Brighton & Hove Albion FC thrashed Chelsea 3-0 in the Premier League, courtesy of a sensational opener from Kaoru Mitoma and a brace from Yankuba Minteh.
The win is a much-needed turnaround for Brighton, who ended their two-match losing streak in the league.
The defeat further compounds Chelsea's misery under head coach Enzo Maresca, who had earlier downplayed the importance of the FA Cup after their fourth-round loss to Brighton.
Offensive woes
Chelsea's offensive struggles continue in Premier League
Chelsea's offensive woes were clear as they couldn't even get a single shot on target.
It was the first time since September 2021 that the team hasn't hit the target in a league game.
The lack of a recognized striker was certainly felt, with Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku switching in the false nine position.
Stellar performance
Mitoma's opener draws comparisons to Messi
Mitoma's stunning opener drew comparisons to football legends Lionel Messi and Dennis Bergkamp.
He beautifully controlled a long ball from Bart Verbruggen before slotting it past Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen with aplomb.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher praised Mitoma's performance, saying, "That's Messi-like. And I don't say that lightly. Pure genius."
Decisive goals
Minteh's double strike seals victory for Brighton
Brighton doubled their lead before the break as Minteh scored after Chelsea failed to clear Georginio Rutter's cross.
Minteh struck again after the hour mark, teaming up with Danny Welbeck to seal the deal for Brighton.
The win takes Brighton within six points of fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League table.
Information
Here are the match stats
Brighton had 5 shots on target. Chelsea failed to register a single shot on target. The Seagulls had 1.37 expected goals compared to 0.57 of the Blues. Chelsea had 24 touches in the opposition box to Brighton's 22.
Opta stats
Chelsea stutter as Welbeck shines for Brighton
Despite averaging just under 70% possession, Chelsea failed to register a shot on target in a Premier League game for the first time since September 2021 (versus Manchester City).
Former Manchester United striker Welbeck has assisted two goals in a Premier League game for the first time since May 2017 for Arsenal (v Everton).
Welbeck has raced to 31 assists in the Premier League. He also owns 73 goals.
Do you know?
Goalkeeper Verbruggen enters record books
As per Opta, Bart Verbruggen is the fifth different goalkeeper to assist a Premier League goal this season (after Ederson, Flekken, Pickford, and Leno); the most in a single campaign since 2010-11 (5).