Brighton subject Chelsea and Rosenior to fifth league defeat in a row without scoring | Premier League

As Chelsea’s season lurches, time to celebrate Brighton’s achievements. The evening kicked off with the Premier League’s three “B-teams” – Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton – behind Chelsea in the table. Following another grim chapter in the Liam Rosenior saga, his name taken in vain by angry away fans, Chelsea now look up at Brighton.

Each of those clubs provide an example of responsible stewardship. models Chelsea’s brains trust have struggled to upscale. The project has spent billions, and taken on a raft of former Brighton employees, Rosenior included, but has failed to emulate the culture and strategy. Chelsea have beaten only Port Vale in eight matches and not scored in the other seven.

Meanwhile, Brighton’s return to the European football enjoyed under Roberto De Zerbi is fully on the cards. Fabian Hürzeler, an appointment in which there was considerable doubt earlier this season, has revived his team, and has still never been defeated by an opposing English manager. Goals by Ferdi Karioglu and Jack Hinshelwood did the damage to Chelsea, and it could have been far more by the time Danny Welbeck scored the third to complete as convincing a win as it get.

The absence of the hamstrung Cole Palmer was a surprise, though perhaps not to those who caught leaked team news from Marc Cucurella’s barber. Though so too was a 3-5-2 formation, Malo Gusto and Jorrel Hato wing-backs flanking a midfield trio of Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia. In attack, Liam Delap, looking to add to his single Premier League goal, was partnered by Pedro Neto. Rosenior’s strategy held risks though a glance at a callow bench suggested his hand being forced.

Brighton began like a train, Chelsea a drain. Following his Van Basten-esque volley against Tottenham, to let Kaoru Mitoma have an early crack at repeating it from Pascal Gross’s cross was negligent. Even more so the defending of the subsequent corner, Kadioglu stabbing past Robert Sánchez to score. Is seven minutes in the earliest known chorus of “we want our Chelsea back” ever?

Cucurella, Caicedo and Sánchez, all former Brighton players, were loudly jeered by home fans enjoying their team, full of invention and confidence. Sánchez railed at his defence, only previously used in this formation under Rosenior in the Carabao Cup against Arsenal, after making a save from Jan Paul van Hecke’s header. That midfield trio, combined transfer value over £270m, were not providing little defensive cover, the wing-backs unable to stop Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh.

Would Brighton rue Hinshelwood failing to beat Trevor Chalobah’s lunging block on the line after a Sánchez mistake? Chelsea’s best-case scenario was Brighton failing to make the most of their dominance, as has been a shortcoming. Having passed 400 minutes without a Premier League goal, that also asked for massive improvements from Chelsea. Rosenior, hands in pockets except for his customary claps, held a terse discussion with Lavia.

His team were playing right into the hands of Hürzeler’s high-press, quick transition dream scenario, but they did manage to slow the first-half direction of travel by making the game bitty, full of stoppages. The main creative outlet appeared to be Sánchez’s goal kicks, a number of which went straight out of play. At last, their first shot arrived in the 41st minute, Chalobah’s effort blocked by onrushing Brighton bodies.

The half-time introduction of Alejandro Garnacho was risky considering his low-quality performance against Manchester United. A 4-2-3-1 formation was adopted, Wesley Fofana the player removed. Those moments in the dressing room were surely among the most important of Rosenior’s short reign. How many more half-time team talks will he get to give? Will Sunday at Wembley be one of them? A small but audible section of away fans made their feelings known in no uncertain terms. They would get louder and more numerous. At least the second half began with a shot, lofted over by Lavia.

Restored to a more suitable formation, Chelsea’s improvement was clear but the better chances still fell to Brighton, Mitoma dragging wide, Minteh slapping the ball off Cucurella’s arm, though too high for video assistance to intervene. After a similar ruling followed when the ball came off Minteh, and Chelsea players complained, Brighton seized on attention being diverted. Georginio Rutter broke clear and picked out Hinshelwood to slot past Sánchez.

Chelsea’s improvement, such as it was, had been squandered by the same lapses of concentration of which Rosenior complains but has found no cure. Mitoma fired two efforts in and Kadioglu galloped forward again to shoot on goal. Sánchez was keeping the score down but the mood among away fans had taken a dark turn, as manager and co-owner, Behdad Eghbali, sat in the stands, were both called out.

Rosenior did at least receive some backing, though that came from Brighton fans fondly recalling him as a player during their rise. How soon until his Chelsea reign is a memory?