Chelsea’s 12-match unbeaten run in home Premier League games was ended as Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to beat the 10-man Blues 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
Substitutes Danny Welbeck and Maxim de Cuyper scored during 11 minutes of added time as the seagulls profited from Trevoh Chalobah’s 53rd-minute red card.
The Blues had been cruising to victory in the first half when Enzo Fernandez headed in Reece James’s cross, via a deflection off Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma.
However, Mitoma played a key role in the game’s big turning point – as he won possession from Chelsea’s Andrey Santos, on his first Premier League start, leading to Chalobah’s desperate challenge on Georginio Rutter.
After a lengthy video assistant referee check, Chalobah was dismissed – seven days after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off early in their 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.
Playing with 10 men for a second week running, the Blues were no longer the dominant force, and were eventually broken in the 77th minute when Welbeck positioned himself in a dangerous area to head home Yankuba Minteh’s cross from close range.
De Cuyper then headed Brighton in front from a corner in the second minute of stoppage time – before Welbeck finished from close range to seal the victory.
Chelsea have not won a Premier League match since the international break, with Liverpool next to visit west London.
Meanwhile, Brighton rise into to 10th place after another positive result against big six opposition.
