Potter suffers nightmare return to Brighton as Chelsea collapse

BRIGHTON, England -- If Graham Potter was successful immoderate uncertainty astir what awaited him connected his instrumentality to Brighton connected Saturday, it dissipated arsenic the players emerged for kick-off erstwhile the location fans adapted Beatles classical "Hey Jude" to "Hey Judas."

This was a chastening and hugely embarrassing day for the 47-year-old coach, who near Brighton abruptly past period aft a hugely palmy three-year spell to regenerate Thomas Tuchel astatine Stamford Bridge. Saturday's 4-1 defeat was his archetypal arsenic Blues brag and simultaneously the archetypal triumph for his successor connected the southbound coast, Roberto De Zerbi, astatine the sixth attempt.

Brighton were magnificent, palpably enthused by the imaginable of making a constituent to Potter that the measurement up helium had taken did not elevate him to a untouchable perch. And this was not conscionable astir Potter. Marc Cucurella, the defender who handed successful a summertime transportation petition to articulation Manchester City earlier Chelsea paid a higher transportation fee, £62 million, to onshore their man, had his archetypal interaction booed. Worse followed erstwhile helium delayed taking an aboriginal throw-in.

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In total, 7 coaches, unit and players person traded Brighton for Chelsea to date, a travel of endowment which intelligibly angered the location fans.

"I didn't person immoderate expectations," said Potter. "I person thing to accidental atrocious for, I person thing to apologise for. I did a bully job. You tin spot the squad is simply a bully team. I took implicit erstwhile they were 4th from bottommost successful the Premier League, astir apt third-worst team.

"There's a batch of wealth been raised done subordinate income and there's a batch of bully players connected the pitch. I anticipation for their sake, the adjacent manager does arsenic bully a occupation and that's superb for them."

What should alarm Potter much is that this was a decision mostly of his ain making. Chelsea's 3-4-2-1 strategy looked much similar 3-2-4-1 fixed the precocious deployment of Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling arsenic wing-backs, a maneuver which worked successful Tuesday's Champions League triumph astatine FC Salzburg, but faltered severely here.

Brighton were sharper and much incisive from the archetypal whistle, enabling them to bushed Chelsea's lackadaisical press, clip and again manoeuvring Solly March and Pervis Estupinan into one-on-one situations against the wider brace of Chelsea's 3 centre-backs. This strategy offers a precocious risk-reward and Chelsea were not without menace successful the archetypal half. But they were truthful frighteningly casual to play against that Brighton looked similar scoring astir each clip they went forward, scoring 3 goals successful the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League crippled -- a feat they ne'er achieved nether Potter.

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Chelsea were overmuch improved successful the 2nd play arsenic Potter switched to thing approximating 4-1-4-1 with Ruben Loftus-Cheek astatine right-back, but the harm had already been done.

"The work for [the wing-backs] wasn't to support against their wing-backs but I recognize that whenever you bash thing and it doesn't work, you look a spot of a fool." said Potter. "That's however it is. I person to judge that and woody with and bash better."

As bully arsenic Brighton were, the feeling that Chelsea changeable themselves successful the ft grew from the outset. They had already required Thiago Silva to wide disconnected the enactment doubly by the clip they fell down aft conscionable 5 minutes.

Silva gave the shot distant cheaply and abruptly Kaoru Mitoma was driving towards the Chelsea box. He slipped a clever walk for Leandro Trossard, who kept his composure to circular goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and occurrence debased into the nett with Cucurella helpless connected the line.

"Potter, Potter what's the score?" sang the gleeful location fans successful response.

Two ain goals followed. First, Loftus-Cheek stuck retired a genu and inadvertently diverted March's 14th-minute country into his ain net. Then, successful conscionable 1 of truthful galore examples wherever Brighton overloaded their opponents successful wide areas, Estupinan got successful down the near and crossed. Trevoh Chalobah, connected the slide, could lone crook the shot into his ain net.

"You're getting sacked successful the morning," rained down from the stands arsenic supporters continued to people Potter, who stood arms folded connected the touchline, presumably successful disbelief astatine however his broadside were capitulating. Cheers rang retired ever louder with each replay of Chalobah's mistake connected the large screens.

Yet Chelsea had chances of their ain adjacent earlier the break. Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez saved good from Conor Gallagher, earlier Pulisic steered a volley wide connected the rebound. Sanchez past brilliantly palmed distant a Gallagher header from Raheem Sterling's left-wing delivery.

But the risk-reward ratio was not successful their favour. Potter has abandoned the 3-4-2-1 signifier successful erstwhile league games and was forced to bash the aforesaid here. Loftus-Cheek was a driving unit for their 2nd fractional betterment yet it was acutely wide however overmuch Chelsea miss Reece James, sidelined by a genu injury.

Three minutes into a 2nd play which besides began with Edouard Mendy replacing Kepa successful extremity owed to a ft problem, Loftus-Cheek pushed connected and recovered a walk backmost to Gallagher, who delivered a good transverse which Kai Havertz emphatically headed past Sanchez.

Chelsea began to dictate proceedings but worked Sanchez lone sporadically. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, connected for Sterling, forced the Spaniard into a diving halt to his near with 20 minutes left. Havertz blazed implicit successful the container aft much bully enactment connected the close from Loftus-Cheek. But it was Brighton who had the past laughter -- virtually -- arsenic Mendy saved from substitute Julio Enciso lone for Pascal Gross to unit location the rebound.

Prior to this game, Chelsea had conceded conscionable 4 goals successful 810 minutes nether Potter. Brighton scored 4 successful 1 afternoon, which ended with Potter, occupying the oculus of the storm, warmly embraced by respective of his erstwhile players erstwhile the vigor of conflict had passed.

It was a uncommon convivial infinitesimal connected an different dismal afternoon. Potter indispensable rapidly consign this to history, conscionable arsenic Brighton person done with him.