BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 14: Yankuba Minteh of Brighton & Hove Albion celebrates scoring his teams third goal during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Chelsea FC at Amex Stadium on February 14, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Chelsea missed the chance to cement fourth spot on the Premier League table after losing 3-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday night.
Premier League
Result: Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Chelsea
Date: 14 February 2025
Venue: AMEX Stadium
The two sides met six days ago, with the Seagulls coming out on top in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at the AMEX Stadium.
The Blues had made a few changes for the clash, as Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, Christopher Nkunku, Levy Colwill, Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke were recalled by Enzo Maresca.
However, Maresca was forced to make a change on 21 minutes when Madueke limped off and was replaced by Jadon Sancho.
The home side took the lead six minutes later as Kaoru Mitoma showed great control to bring down a long-ball from his goalkeeper before firing into the far corner.
The lead was doubled ten minutes later as a scramble in the box ended with Danny Welbeck teeing up Yankuba Minteh, who slammed home his fourth league goal of the season.
The Blues, meanwhile, endured a first half to forget as they failed to register a single effort on target as the likes of Cole Palmer, Nkunku and Pedro Neto were kept quiet.
Brighton did go on to grab a third goal after the hour mark as Minteh combined with Welbeck once again before firing into the far corner to complete his brace.
That proved to be the final goal of the encounter, as the visitors failed to threaten Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen throughout the entire 90 minutes.
The loss means Manchester City can leapfrog the Blues into fourth spot with a win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
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