Player Ratings: Chelsea 1-2 Brighton | Premier League

Chelsea were outclassed and dominated by Brighton & Hove Albion who claimed a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Frank Lampard’s side faced a tough test against Roberto De Zerbi’s men and put in an embarrassing performance that continued their losing run.

The game had started positively for the Blues as they found the opening goal just 13 minutes into proceedings. Some good work from Mykhailo Mudryk got the ball to Conor Gallagher, the English midfielder then saw his effort deflect off of Lewis Dunk and wrong foot Robert Sanchez.

As the half continued, the away side begun to take control of match, chances fell for Karou Mitoma and Evan Ferguson, but it was substitute Danny Welbeck who finally beat Kepa Arrizabalaga and levelled the score before the break.

The second half continued in much the same light, Brighton dominated affairs but were failing to find the back of the net, due to some good saves from Kepa and big wasted chances.

With just over 20 minutes to go though, they did find the advantage, a stunning strike from Julio Enciso blasted them into a deserved lead.

Chelsea showed a small bit of fight towards the end of the game, but could not find a late equaliser.

Here’s how Absolute Chelsea rated the players’ performance against Brighton.

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Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7/10

Captaining the side, the Spaniard put in a performance he can be proud of. Wednesday night was a tough one for the shot stopper but he was extremely impressive against Brighton. Following the Blues’ opening goal, the visitors responded well and took control of the game. In the opening 45, Kepa made classy saves to deny both Mitoma and Ferguson, unfortunately though, he was also beaten by a Welbeck header that levelled the contest. In the second half, he had even more to do, and despite making some wonderful saves, Enciso’s incredible long-range effort left him no chance.

Trevoh Chalobah – 3.5/10

Has not been a regular in the squad in recent weeks and it showed against De Zerbi’s team. The defender had a challenging task on his hands, having to deal with Kaoru Mitoma is no mean feat. The Japanese attacker was a danger throughout the contest and toyed with Chalobah who struggled to keep him quiet. Made some good challenges, but evidently lacking match sharpness. Moved into the centre of defence when Fofana was replaced by Reece James.

Wesley Fofana – 5/10 (56)

In recent weeks, the summer signing has become one of the most dependable options at the back, but it was not an easy affair for him against the south coast side. Perhaps should have dealt better with the opening goal, as Welbeck found the space in between him and Chalobah to prod home the equaliser.

Benoit Badiashile – 5/10

It was a challenging game to return to the Chelsea squad for the French centre-back. There were a couple of small errors at the back and he is clearly lacking some match fitness. Can’t be blamed too heavily for the loss.

Ben Chilwell – 5/10

After getting sent off in midweek against Real Madrid, the left-back was one of the handful of players that retained his place in the starting XI. It was not a performance to write home about though for Chilwell, he is capable of much more.

Conor Gallagher – 5.5/10

Scored his second goal of the season in the Premier League, while it came with a large slice of luck, credit has to be given to him for having a go. Other than that it was not a particularly impressive day out for the midfielder

Enzo Fernandez – 5/10 (56)

Usually the dominant force in midfield but Moises Caicedo and the visitors did a good job of not allowing the Argentinian dictate from the centre of the park. Probably the most quiet he has ever been in a Chelsea shirt.

Denis Zakaria – 4/10 (74)

The Swiss midfielder last made an appearance for Chelsea back in March, when the Blues beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. In this clash, he was unable to have much of an impact and was part of the reason why the Seagulls were able to establish so much control on the contest.

Christian Pulisic – 4.5/10 (56)

Was unlucky to not put the west London side back in front before the half-time break, saw his headed effort rebound off the post. The winger becomes more and more frustrating to watch, the ability he has is clear, but if he wants to be a constant figure in this team, he must improve.

Raheem Sterling – 4.5/10 (56)

Struggled for any sort of involvement playing at the top end of pitch. Would be harsh to put too much of the blame on him really, the Blues’ lack of control meant he had little involvement. It was a very quiet afternoon for the 28-year-old.

Mykahilo Mudryk – 6.5/10

The Ukrainian started the contest with confidence, but quickly drifted out of the game due to Brighton’s dominance. Was probably the most dangerous of the starting front three, but that is not much of an achievement. Had some very bright moments and really caused problems for the opposition defence when on the ball, but he just did not get it enough.

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Bench

Hakim Ziyech – 5/10 (57)

Struggled to have any sort of impact once he came off the bench.

Mateo Kovacic – 5/10 (57)

Was able to provide to offer some attacking threat, but was caught out defensively which saw Julio Enciso nearly take advantage.

Reece James – 5/10 (57)

Managed to silence Mitoma following his introduction, the winger had been running the show before James was brought on.

Joao Felix – 5/10 (57)

Normally oozes quality, but was unable to help Chelsea build anything promising going forward.

Mason Mount 5.5/10 (74)

Received the biggest cheer of the afternoon from the home fans when he was introduced. Would not be surprised to see him pick up more minutes as the season continues.