Brighton was rampant, ruthless and utterly brilliant. They displayed many of their former manager’s best traits, playing with flair, intelligence and tactical flexibility, but it was no tribute act. It was Potterball with a flourish from De Zerbian and, as Chelsea left the pitch with the sound of jeers ringing in their ears at full-time, no one inside the Amex Stadium could have faulted of thinking that Brighton was pining for the past.
There was no room for any feelings. Watching from an unfamiliar spot in the distant cottage, Graham Potter found himself powerless to silence the jeers. Nothing was going to deny Roberto De Zerbi his first victory as Brighton manager and, once the dust had settled, Potter was left to question his tactics, wonder why control had eluded Chelsea and until and while suggesting that his use of Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic. as the sides had left him looking “a bit silly”.
It was an agonizing way to end the former Brighton manager’s nine-game unbeaten run. Potter’s former employers were out for revenge and mercilessly exploited Chelsea’s weaknesses. De Zerbi had his side ready to attack down the flanks, where the positioning of Sterling and Pulisic exposed an overworked back three, and the approach paid off in an opening period that ended with the Chelsea grateful only to be 3-0.
For De Zerbi, who had gone five games without a win since replacing Potter, it was a vindication of his attacking philosophy. “We played a fantastic game,” said the Brighton manager. “We played bravely.”
There was also anger. The curious back and forth between these clubs had the home fans crying blood from the start. There were taunts from Marc Cucurella, vitriol for Potter and his coaches, and the poisonous atmosphere lifted Brighton, whose overriding goal seemed to force anyone tempted to label them Chelsea’s feeder club to think again.
Leandro Trossard walks away after scoring. Photograph: MB Media/Getty Images
After all, the week had started with Chelsea looking to sign Brighton director of recruitment Paul Winstanley. The dynamic has been daunting, a member of the elite using their deep pockets to overcome a smaller rival, and Brighton had a point to prove.
His football left Chelsea speechless. Thiago Silva, whose distribution from the back was poor, made clears on the goal line from Leandro Trossard and Pervis Estupiñán in the opening minutes, and the visitors soon exploded. Loose play in midfield allowed Kaoru Mitoma to find Trossard, who danced around Kepa Arrizabalaga and struck the ball into an empty net.
With Alexis Mac Allister and Moisés Caicedo outstripping Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher in midfield, Brighton dominated. The stewards had to hold the fans back near the Chelsea dugout and the excitement got the better of De Zerbi, who scored the first home goal of his tenure by charging onto the pitch.
De Zerbi has joined a good and smart club. Brighton’s creative juices were flowing and they doubled their lead after more brash Chelsea defending, Solly March’s corner teeing up Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek turning the ball into his own net in the 14th minute.
Potter had botched his tactic. De Zerbi had his team in a 4-2-3-1 system, with Adam Lallana scheming behind Trossard, and Brighton continued to run past Pulisic and Sterling. The combinations between Estupinan and Mitouma were a threat down the left and March had the best time of his life in front of Cucurella, who had a terrible afternoon against his former team at left-back.
Start your evenings with The Guardian’s opinion on the world of football
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
However, there were reminders of Chelsea’s threat. Gallagher was denied by two brilliant saves from Robert Sanchez and Pulisic missed an open goal. It turned out to be expensive. Brighton pushed for a third and got it just before the break. Once again they broke down the left, Caicedo let go to Estupiñán, whose cross was deflected by Trevoh Chalobah.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter looks dejected as Brighton fans celebrate. Photograph: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Getty Images
It was a disaster for Chelsea, who had to replace the injured Arrizabalaga with Édouard Mendy, and Potter made tweaks at the break. The full-back experiment was over, Loftus-Cheek moved to right-back and Chelsea had hope when Kai Havertz headed home Gallagher’s cross.
However, despite Chelsea’s best efforts, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang teeing up Robert Sanchez, the comeback never materialised. In the end, the occasion was summed up with the home side challenging Cucurella when the £62.5m defender fired over in the 64th minute. Chelsea had been outplayed and the fourth goal came when Mendy expel a shot from the substitute, Julio Enciso, in stoppage time.
There was Pascal Gross, who had started the day at right back, coming out to the left to score the rebound. Still intelligent and versatile, Brighton was in no forgiving mood.