Brighton 2-1 Chelsea: Kaoru Mitoma’s lob dumps Blues out of FA Cup after Enzo Maresca named three ex-Seagulls stars worth £202MILLION in his starting lineup
Chelsea’s first trophy under their BlueCo ownership will not come in this season’s FA Cup after a loss to Brighton in which their scant return for such lavish spending became impossible to ignore.
The home supporters made sure of that as they booed Robert Sanchez, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella from start to finish. That trio cost a fifth of a billion pounds to acquire collectively – the equivalent to 80 Kaoru Mitomas.
And yet it was Mitoma who sent Brighton into the fifth round as their fans gleefully got to rub it in the faces of former friends turned foes.
Chelsea complained there was a handball in the build-up to that comeback-confirming lob, but there was no VAR to save them here, and nor could Cole Palmer rescue their FA Cup run either.
It is hard to watch Chelsea and avoid thinking they are so reliant on Palmer that if he does not turn up, they do not, with the visitors even arriving here without a single recognised striker in their squad after injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu.
‘If there is something good after a defeat, it is that we can be focused on the Premier League and the Conference League,’ Maresca said as he also defended their decision to send Joao Felix on loan to AC Milan in January.
Brighton & Hove Albion beat Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday to progress to the last 16 in the FA Cup
Chelsea took an early lead when Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen scored a clumsy own goal
Brighton hit back and Kaoru Mitoma eventually scored the winner by lobbing Robert Sanchez
‘We don’t miss Joao. Joao is happy and we are happy that he is happy there. We had two striker injuries on deadline day. It is something difficult to think.’
Brighton turned down a £61million bid from Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr for Mitoma last month, meanwhile, and Fabian Hurzeler described this as a perfect response to losing 7-0 to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last week.
He even picked up a new English phrase as he said: ‘I learned a new sentence tonight. “Just what the doctor ordered.” It was a great reaction.’
Palmer scored four goals the last time these clubs faced one another in the Premier League in September with Chelsea winning 4-2. He took only five minutes to force the breakthrough here when Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen fumbled his cross into the goal as if the ball was coated in Vaseline.
It was an awful error – so bad that Chelsea might consider signing him next summer, as one fan joked – but Brighton equalised after 12 minutes when Georginio Rutter headed beyond Sanchez.
Since December 4, Palmer has created 32 chances in the Premier League, more than any other player has managed in any of Europe’s elite divisions. However, none of those have been converted by his Chelsea team-mates, leaving him with zero assists.
It is an extraordinary statistic, and one which emphasises their wastefulness in front of goal.
With Chelsea shooting towards their own fans in the second half, you could feel the frustration brewing in that away end as Caicedo was urged to shoot from 35 yards.
Georginio Rutter also found the net for Brighton, scoring with a well-placed headed finish
This was Brighton’s first home victory in three months, ending a five-game winless streak
Chelsea will get a chance to avenge this loss as they return to Brighton in the league on Friday
Brighton took the lead in the 57th minute via Mitoma’s delightful dink as Chelsea’s hopeful claims of a handball were fruitless.
The visitors tried to find a leveller with Maresca turning to Enzo Fernandez, Tyrique George and Noni Madueke on his bench in the hope of forcing extra time.
It was in vain as another chance of a trophy was kissed goodbye on a night when Brighton secured a victory made all the sweeter for the moneybags they beat.
