The bad start to the game, with goals conceded in the fifth and the 14th minutes, inevitably made it very difficult for Chelsea to then take something from the match.

It is the first time this season we conceded more than once in the first quarter-of-an-hour and only in the defeat at Dinamo Zagreb and the away game against Crystal Palace, when we recovered to win 2-1, had a goal gone in during that opening period.

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Brighton, adopting a 4-2-3-1 shape and 3-0 up by the interval, had more of the ball in the first half, 53 per cent of the possession, and more shots – nine to Chelsea’s six. speaking after the game noted that both sides had a similar number of touches inside the box during the first half but that Brighton had done better at making something from those – and all nine of the efforts on goal from the Seagulls were from inside the penalty area. Chelsea had four.

Although both sides had four efforts on target before the break, our ‘big chances’ count was zero whereas Brighton’s was two, one of which was taken.

For the first half, the Blues set up with and as the wider players, as had been the case in the previous game, the win away in Salzburg. The average position map across the whole game shows there was a narrowness to Chelsea’s attack on Saturday.

For the second half, although the only personnel change at half-time was the one enforced by Kepa’s injury, went to right-back with Marc Cucurella as a left-back.
From that position, Loftus-Cheek was able to carry out a ball-carrying role before crossed for to head the Chelsea goal. Ruben was also the game’s most fouled player with five infringements against him.

Second period improvement

In the second half as the Blues went in search of more goals, the possession tilted 70-30 in our favour and there was a more balanced five attempts at goal from inside the box to Brighton’s six, the Seagulls catching us out at the end to score their fourth and match us for goals in the second half. We reduced Brighton down to four crosses after half-time following 13 before it.

Looking at the xG rating across the match, Brighton overachieved in scoring four goals, helped by two own goals by the visitors.

Brighton won more tackles (18 to 8) and dispossessed their opponents more often (8 to 5) but we won more aerial contests (10 to 8). Pulisic contributed the most towards that count with three and he won two tackles, matched by Trevoh Chalobah.

Individual totals

Leading the way for Chelsea shots was Havertz, his four (two on target) being two fewer than game-high Leandro Trossard, scorer of Brighton’s first goal.

was the player from both sides with most touches of the ball – 78 and the most passes, 64. blocked five Brighton shots, twice on the line.

The result is Brighton’s first win over Chelsea in 15 league meetings, following four draws in the previous five.

It means Potter’s unbeaten start in charge of Chelsea ends at nine matches (six of them won). It is the joint-best beginning by an Englishman at the helm.