There was no room for any emotion. Watching from an unknown spot in the away dugout, Graham Potter found himself powerless to silence the jeers. Nothing was going to deny Roberto De Gerby his first win as Brighton manager and, when the dust had settled, it was left to Potter to question his tactics, wonder why control had slipped away from Chelsea and even suggests using Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic. as the full-backs had left him looking “a bit silly”. It was a painful way to end the former Brighton manager’s nine-game unbeaten run. Potter’s former employers were out for revenge and mercilessly exploited Chelsea’s weaknesses. De Gerby had his side attack down the flanks, where the positioning of Sterling and Pulisic revealed a strained back three, and the approach paid off during an opening period that ended with Chelsea grateful only to be 3- 0. For De Gerby, who had gone five games without a win since replacing Potter, it was vindication of his attacking philosophy. “We played a fantastic game,” said the Brighton manager. “We played with courage” There was also anger. The curious back and forth between these clubs had the home fans baying for blood from the start. There were jibes at Marc Cucurella, vitriol at Potter and his managers and the poisonous atmosphere lifted Brighton, whose primary goal seemed to force anyone tempted to call them a Chelsea feeder to think again. Leandro Trossard walks away after the goal. Photo: MB Media/Getty Images The week, after all, had started with Chelsea looking to sign Brighton’s director of recruitment Paul Winstanley. The dynamic felt frustrating, a member of the elite using their deep pockets to overcome a lesser opponent, and Brighton had something to prove. Their football hit Chelsea. Thiago Silva, whose distribution from the back was poor, was cleared off the line by Leandro Trossard and Pervis Estupinian in the opening minutes and the visitors soon broke. Loose play in midfield allowed Kaoru Mitoma to find Trossard, who danced around Kepa Arrizabalaga and tapped the ball into an empty net. With Alexis Mac Allister and Moisés Caicedo outdoing Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher in midfield, Brighton were dominant. The referees had to keep the fans close to the Chelsea dugout and the excitement got the better of De Gerby, who scored the first home goal of his tenure with a charge on the pitch. De Gerby joined a good, smart club. Brighton’s creative juices were flowing and they doubled their lead after darker defending from Chelsea, Solly Mart’s corner picking out Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek turning the ball into his own net in the 14th minute. Potter had messed up his tactics. De Gerby had his team in a 4-2-3-1 system, with Adam Lallana arguing behind Trossard and Brighton continuing to run beyond Pulisic and Sterling. The combinations between Estupinan and Mituma were a threat down the left and March had the time of his life against Koukourela, who had a terrible afternoon against his old club at left centre-back. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. However, they reminded Chelsea’s threat. Gallagher was denied by two brilliant saves from Robert Sanchez and Pulisic missed an open goal. It turned out to be costly. Brighton pushed for a third and got it just before half-time. Again they broke down the left flank, Caicedo released Estupiñán, whose cut was deflected by Trevoh Chalobah. Chelsea manager Graham Potter looks frustrated as Brighton fans celebrate. Photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Getty Images It was a disaster for Chelsea, who had to replace the injured Arrizabalaga with Édouard Mendy, and Potter made changes in the interval. The wing experiment ended, Loftus-Cheek crossed at right-back and Chelsea had hope when Kai Havertz headed home Gallagher’s cross. However, despite Chelsea’s push, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang extending Robert Sanchez, the comeback never materialised. Ultimately, the occasion was summed up by the locals dropping Cucurella when the £62.5m defender was subbed off in the 64th minute. Chelsea had won and the fourth goal arrived when Mendy pushed a shot past substitute Julio Enciso in stoppage time. There was Pascal Gross, who had started the day at right-back, popped up on the left to score the rebound. Still intelligent and versatile, Brighton was in no mood for indulgence.
