Olaleye Idowu
Chelsea are in real danger of finishing outside the Premier League top four this season following a 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Friday night.
It was a repeat of a fourth-round FA Cup tie, in which the Seagulls edged it 2-1 at the Amex.
But this time around, the hosts were in a more punishing mood, as the Blues struggled to get a hold of the game.
Kaoru Mitoma opened the scoring in the first with a sensational finish.
The Japanese winger controlled a long ball from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and curled in a fine finish.
Chelsea thought they were level after Enzo Fernandez headed in, but the referee chalked off the goal for a foul.
With seven minutes left in the first half, Brighton doubled their advantage, after Yankuba Minteh found space in the box to fire home.
Minteh completed his brace in the second half with a deflected effort.
The result means Chelsea are in fourth place with 41 points, but could finish in seventh place by the end of this weekend.
