Brighton & Hove Albion 2:1 Chelsea - FA Cup Tactical Analysis

A bleak night in East Sussex saw Chelsea exit the FA Cup, extending their domestic trophy drought for another season. Brighton and Hove Albion secured a much-needed victory following a one-sided thrashing by Nottingham Forest in their previous league fixture. This article will dissect the tactical elements of the match and analyze key moments that shaped the outcome.

Having already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Newcastle United, Chelsea had a golden opportunity to break their seven-year domestic trophy drought. However, Enzo Maresca's team delivered a lackluster performance, resulting in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton.

Brighton's Out-of-Possession Approach

From the opening minutes, Brighton's defensive plan was clear. They opted for an aggressive high press with a numerical disadvantage approach. Meanwhile, Chelsea structured themselves in a 5-1-2-3 shape, with the goalkeeper integrating into the backline while Cole Palmer and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall dropped deep to link play.

Several intriguing tactical details emerged from Brighton's perspective. The frontline pressing unit aggressively closed down Chelsea's central defenders and the goalkeeper while simultaneously shadow-marking the free man. Kaoru Mitoma man-marked Malo Gusto down Brighton's left flank, while on the right, Yankuba Minteh was assigned dual responsibilities—initially marking Dewsbury-Hall before switching to Marc Cucurella if he received possession.

This defensive strategy allowed Brighton to transition into a man-to-man marking scheme. Palmer was persistently man-marked by Lewis Dunk, irrespective of how deep he dropped. As a result, Chelsea's backline was often left in a precarious three-versus-three situation at the halfway line. Christopher Nkunku could drop deeper to create overloads, while Jan Paul van Hecke was hesitant to leave the central area exposed.