Chelsea humiliated as Potter endures nightmare seaside return

Graham Potter returned to the AMEX stadium to face his former Brighton side, who have failed to win since his departure to West London. But it didn't go according to plan for Chelsea, who were looking to go ten games unbeaten. 

Unsentimental Seagulls

From the moment Graham Potter arrived to take his seat in the less familiar dugout, a mere two months since he left Brighton, he must have known that there weren't going to be many pleasantries amongst the afternoons proceedings. He received a chorus of boos from the home supporters and they revelled in his Chelsea teams humiliation, with the score at 2-0, chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" were delivered with glee. In his post-match interview Potter claimed he had "nothing to say sorry for" in relation to the manner of his exit and will have plenty to think about following Chelsea's collapse on the south coast, with calamitous defending throughout, his key cause for concern from a match which he called "painful". 

Kepa's Luck Runs Out:

Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has been Chelsea's stand out player since Potter's arrival at the club, but his luck, like Chelsea's, appeared to run out against the seaside club. 

Kepa would have been grateful to Thiago Silva for clearing two early attempts from Brighton with last gasp clearances on the goal line, but had little else to thank his defence for as the game continued. The goalkeeper gestured to the bench following Brighton's second goal, having apparently picked up an injury, but it wasn't until he had conceded the third, and the second own goal from Chelsea in the first half, that he was replaced by Edouard Mendy. It was 45 minutes to forget, and though Kepa was not independently at fault for any of the three goals which went against him, it was a heavy blot against his recent near perfect record. 

Raheem's Rut

Another player who had a particularly difficult afternoon, and in contrast to Kepa, has been on a relatively poor run of form, is England international Raheem Sterling. He has been a victim of Potter's desire to at least start fixtures with a back three and employ a wing-back system, often dropping into the right-wing position as cover for the injured Reece James. This is not where Sterling can be most effective in a game and not where he achieved success under former manager Thomas Tuchel, Sterling's frustration is apparent, as is that of the Chelsea supporters watching his recent performances. 

Observers of Sterling's form will undoubtedly include England manager Gareth Southgate, who would have just cause for concern ahead of his squad selection for the Fifa World Cup 2022. But, Southgate would also be a brave man to leave Sterling at home, as a player who has consistently performed on the international stage in tournament football, and who Southgate will believe he knows how to get the best out of. 

Record Books Torn Up

This was not just Brighton's first ever victory over Chelsea, it also had the added spice of bringing about their former manager Potter's nine game unbeaten run to an abrupt end, tripping him up at the tenth hurdle. Another record that fell for Chelsea yesterday was that of defender and Chelsea academy graduate Trevor Chalobah, who prior to the game, had never lost a match in which he had started for his boyhood club, excluding penalty shoot-outs. 

The still impressive 31 game unbeaten run came to an end with Chelsea's collapse against the seagulls and a torrid afternoon for Chalobah was capped off by his own goal, and Brighton's third, which put the fixture beyond Potter's team, to send Chalobah and Chelsea back to Stamford Bridge with nothing.  

Forward Thinking

Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic began alongside Mason Mount in Chelsea's front three at the AMEX stadium, leaving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench, for the first half at least. Havertz has forced himself into contention, picking up some crucial goals for Chelsea in recent games, but generally speaking Chelsea's forwards are mis-firing. 

Potter could be forgiven for still not having a full appreciation of who his best forwards are, and he continues to chop and change them around as he seeks to find out. Mount appears to be a given starter, only missing out so far in one of Potter's ten games, due to being given a rest. Pulisic has started the last two consecutive games, but failed to take a good chance to score in the first-half and looks to be lacking confidence. Armando Broja and Aubameyang were introduced, as was the lesser seen Hakim Ziyech, but none of the forwards could do anything, other than what ended up as Havertz's consolation goal, to impact the game.

Potter still needs time to assess the personnel that he has inherited, but you can see why Chelsea continue to hunt a big-name striker in the transfer market, with Christopher Nkunku believed to be a target.