Absolute disgrace! Seagulls spread their wings and smash Chelsea with ease

Brighton own Chelsea!

The London side “stole” a number of Seagulls’ players - Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill… And still, the Blues can’t touch Fabian Hurzeler’s crew.

Today, Brighton beat Chelsea for the fourth time in a row (3-0) and continued their battle for European competitions, probably crushing the Blues’ Champions League hopes.

Given their performance, Liam Rosenior’s lads can be satisfied with a two-goal defeat, as they deserved a much more convincing one. If it weren’t for somewhat inspired Robert Sanchez, Chelsea would have suffered a catastrophe at Amex Stadium.

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This way, “only” Ferdi Kadioglu in the third minute, Jack Hinshelwood in the 56th minute, and Danny Welbeck in added time found the net, but more importantly, the Seagulls recorded another statement win against the Premier League giants.

Chelsea’s ship is sinking. They lost their fifth consecutive EPL game and haven’t scored in any of them, netting their last league goal on March 4! Forty-eight days ago!

Things aren’t looking good for the Blues, as even the seventh place is at risk and a mid-table finish looks like a sad reality…

Brighton dominated the first half of the duel against Chelsea, as if they were Premier League giants. Liam Rosenior's men were completely dismantled, constantly trying to start their attacks from the back line, which was ideal for the Seagulls' pressing. In general, their performance was as poor as it gets and there was no positive aspect their fans could pinpoint.

During the opening quarter of an hour, the home team made five shots (compared to the Blues' none) and had 69% of possession. Hence, it's no wonder they were 1-0 up early in the game. In the third minute, Jorrel Hato made a poor clearance after a corner kick, and Ferdi Kadioglu knew how to seize the chance and place the rebound into the net.

Eleven minutes later, Robert Sanchez saved his team, pulling off a huge save following Jan Paul van Hecke's header. Nevertheless, the Spanish custodian made a colossal blunder just four minutes later, when he passed the ball straight into Georginio Rutter's feet. The Dutchman found Jack Hinshelwood, whose only task was to put the ball into the empty net. However, the midfielder's effort was poor, allowing Trevoh Chalobah to arrive just in time to make a crucial goal-line clearance.

Even though they were way better than Chelsea - who finished the first half with only one shot (off target) - Brighton were only 1-0 up at the break.

The second period started in a much slower pace, and once again, the Seagulls scored an early goal!

The Blues somewhat tried to pursue the eventual leveller, but their offence was so futile, that it brought them nothing but another ball in their net. In the 56th minute Yankuba Minteh and Rutter initiated a quick counterattack, which Hinshelwood finished much better than midway through the first half, making it 2-0.

Nine minutes later, Kadioglu had two chances to complete a brace, but Sanchez again came to Chelsea's rescue, keeping their head slightly above water, though the clock was ticking and their odds to pull off a miracle were tiny.

Rosenior subbed on Alejandro Garnacho, Marc Guiu, and Dario Essugo, all in pursuit of at least one goal or a decent opportunity, but their impact was little. Three days ago, the Blues seriously outplayed Manchester United, but still lost. Today, they were in the Red Devils' position.

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By the end of the match, Brighton even managed to increase their lead in added time through Danny Welbeck, recording another statement win over the Blues - their fourth in a row over the same rival!

The Seagulls leapfrogged the London side and now have a two-point edge. Chelsea's European football next season is at risk, as they are only three points above the 12th place and their situation is horrendous.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 34

Tuesday

Brighton - Chelsea 3-0 (1-0)

/Kadioglu 3, Hinshelwood 56, Welbeck 90+1/

Wednesday

22.00: (2.10) Bournemouth (3.50) Leeds (3.80)

22.00: (16.0) Burnley (10.0) Man.City (1.12)

Friday

22.00: (2.80) Sunderland (3.15) Nott.Forest (2.65)

Saturday

14.30: (2.60) Fulham (3.35) Aston Villa (2.70)

17.00: (1.50) Liverpool (4.30) Crystal Palace (6.50)

17.00: (2.50) West Ham (3.35) Everton (2.85)

17.00: (4.60) Wolverhampton (3.60) Tottenham (1.80)

19.30: (1.50) Arsenal (4.30) Newcastle (6.50)

Monday

22.00: (1.90) Man.Utd. (3.60) Brentford (4.00)

***odds are subject to change***