Brighton produced a stunning late show to punish 10-man Chelsea, scoring twice in stoppage time to claim a 3-1 Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernández had put the Blues in front midway through the first half with a well-taken header, but Trevoh Chalobah’s dismissal early in the second half handed the visitors the lifeline they needed.
From that moment on, Enzo Maresca’s young side looked fragile, unable to cope with the momentum swing, just as they had in last weekend’s defeat to Manchester United.
Danny Welbeck, introduced from the bench, dragged Brighton level with a towering header 13 minutes from time before sealing the contest deep into added minutes with his second goal.
In between, substitute Maxim De Cuyper rose unmarked to nod in Mats Weiffer’s flick, completing the turnaround and sending Chelsea fans streaming for the exits.
It had started promisingly for the hosts. Fernández, pulling the strings in Cole Palmer’s absence, impressed in the number 10 role and capped his performance with the opener after 24 minutes.
Reece James, back in the starting lineup, surged onto Moisés Caicedo’s pass down the right and clipped a cross that deflected off Kaoru Mitoma, leaving Fernández to head home at the far post.
Chelsea might have doubled their advantage before the break, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen thwarted free-kicks from Fernández and James, while Marc Cucurella shaved the post with a low effort against his former side.
The home crowd roared as Estevão Willian showcased his flair with a dazzling run, but the breakthrough never came.
Then came the turning point. A misplaced pass from Andrey Santos left Chalobah exposed as the last defender against Diego Gómez. His desperate lunge brought the striker down, and after a lengthy VAR review, the red card was shown.
From there, Chelsea’s discipline evaporated. Welbeck spurned one chance but quickly made amends, climbing above Cucurella to power home Yankuba Minteh’s delivery. Brighton sensed blood and pushed forward relentlessly.
In stoppage time, Ayari’s deep cross found Weiffer, whose clever knock-back was converted by De Cuyper. Minutes later, Welbeck smashed in his second, sealing a famous win for the Seagulls.
For Chelsea, it was another brutal lesson in resilience and game management. Maresca, once again undone by a red card, was left searching for answers as his side’s early promise gave way to a collapse that will only raise further questions about their mentality under pressure.
