Chelsea’s FA Cup campaign came to a halt in the fourth round as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to newly-formed rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.
The match started in chaotic fashion, with Bart Verbruggen spilling Cole Palmer’s cross into his own net within the first five minutes. However, Brighton quickly leveled with a superb header from Georginio Rutter, deservedly equalizing after a strong first-half performance.
Early in the second half, Kaoru Mitoma’s lob put Brighton ahead, and Chelsea never looked likely to recover. Despite a few half-chances, the Blues failed to create any real threat as their hopes of domestic silverware faded without a fight.
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For Brighton, the win was the perfect response after their 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, with Fabian Hurzeler’s side securing their place in the fifth round with relative ease.