Four days after the narrow 2-1 win in Salzburg and their entry into the round of 16 in the Champions League, Chelsea suffered a setback in the Premier League. The “Blues” went down 1: 4 (0: 3) at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday – and helped a lot with two own goals.
After the last two draws with the defeat, Chelsea not only lost ground again to the top, but also had to accept the first bankruptcy under coach Graham Potter – and that at his old place of work. The Londoners are now eight points adrift of defending champions Manchester City, who narrowly beat Leicester City 1-0 on Saturday.
Chelsea’s visit to Brighton was ill-fated from the start. Leandro Trossard put Albion ahead in the fifth minute. The visitors then shot themselves in the foot in the form of Ruben Loftus-Cheek (14′) and Trevoh Chalobah (42′) before the break. Kai Havertz was able to shorten the lead shortly after the restart (48′), but the guests couldn’t do more. His German compatriot Pascal Groß made sure of the final score in injury time (90+2).
It was Potter’s first defeat as Chelsea coach. The 47-year-old left Brighton for London a month and a half ago. Thomas Tuchel’s successor had not lost his first nine games with his new employer. Coach colleague Ralph Hasenhüttl was also unlucky. The Styrian lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace after three unbeaten games with Southampton and is just two points clear of the relegation zone.
Tottenham turns 0:2
Chelsea’s London local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, made a furious comeback. Third in the table, they turned a temporary 2-0 deficit at Bournemouth into a 3-2 win in the second half, staying on the heels of top duo Manchester City and Arsenal. Rodrigo Bentancur scored the winning goal in the second minute of added time for the visitors, who came off the field as winners after two defeats in a row.
Before that, Manchester City took the lead for at least a day without striker Erling Haaland, who was on break due to a foot injury. The holders won 1-0 at Leicester City thanks to a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick in the 49th minute, putting them a point clear of Arsenal. The Londoners only play in the home game against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
