Chelsea suffered a fourth-round FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion. Despite taking the lead through a Bart Verbruggen mistake, the Blues failed to capitalize. Georginio Rutter soon equalized before Kaoru Mitoma netted the winner for the hosts. Here are the positives and negatives from the match:
Positives
1. Fewer Tournaments to Focus On
Fans might not agree, but Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described the FA Cup exit as a positive, arguing that it reduces the team’s workload. Naturally, such a statement has angered supporters. Last season, despite injuries and struggles, Mauricio Pochettino guided Chelsea to the EFL Cup final and FA Cup semi-final. The Argentine also won all three of his matches against Brighton.
Bowing out of the FA Cup means this will be the seventh consecutive season without a domestic cup for Chelsea. This year, both of their cup runs ended in just the second match of the tournament, defeating a lower-league side before losing to a fellow Premier League team away from home. For fans, it’s yet another disappointment under Maresca and the new ownership.
2. No Silly Mistakes from Robert Sánchez
Such has been Robert Sánchez’s time at Chelsea, where a game without a mistake is a noteworthy positive, especially in a match where the team had little else to celebrate. He avoided errors in handling the ball, passing, and positioning his teammates under pressure. However, while he didn’t make any clear mistakes, Sánchez didn’t do much to prevent Brighton’s goals, particularly their second.