Chelsea went crashing out of the FA Cup in the fourth round, losing 2-1 to Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening.
Despite taking a 1-0 lead after just five minutes, with Bart Verbruggen making a huge error and turning one into his own net, the Seagulls struck back early through Georginio Rutter to make it 1-1 after 12 minutes, with the eventual winner being scored by Kaoru Mitoma after 57 minutes.
Enzo Maresca made six changes to the side, with Trevoh Chalobah coming in for Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto starting at right-back ahead of Reece James, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall replacing Enzo Fernández alongside Moises Caicedo in midfield, and Pedro Neto earning a start on the right over Noni Madueke.
However, it was the other two changes that had the biggest effect on the game, with Robert Sanchez taking over from Filip Jorgensen in the net, and Christopher Nkunku replacing the injured Nicolas Jackson up top, leaving Chelsea lacking in both boxes.
Robert Sanchez's dodgy performance against Brighton
After making another poor error against Manchester City in the Premier League, Sanchez was dropped, allowing Chelsea’s summer signing Jorgensen to come into the side to face West Ham in their most recent game, winning 2-1 and the Danish shot-stopper putting in a fairly good account for himself.
But Sanchez came back into the side for this FA Cup match, which could perhaps mean the roles have been reversed between the two keepers, with Jorgensen set for a run of Premier League games now.
However, Sanchez put in another dodgy display, misplacing 13 of his 20 long ball attempts and only completing 69% of his passes, having 56 touches in the game.
The 27-year-old Spaniard only made one save, made one punch, and, of course, conceded the two goals, which is hard to blame him for on this occasion, both being good finishes from close range.
Despite the goalkeeper being a clear issue currently at Chelsea, the striker position is perhaps even more alarming, especially in the absence of Jackson as the Blues were against Brighton, starting Nkunku as more of a false nine.
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Chelsea's biggest underperformer against Brighton
With Marc Guiu also out with an injury, Maresca had no choice but to start Nkunku up front, which is a position he has been playing in the UEFA Conference League this campaign anyway for the Blues, scoring 13 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions.
However, it was yet again evident that Nkunku is not a natural centre-forward, continuing to drop deep to get touches and not getting a single shot off in the entirety of the game.
Minutes
90
Touches
33
Accurate Passes
29/29
Shots
0
Key Passes
1
Ground Duels Won
1/3
Aerial Duels Won
2/3
In fact, the 28-year-old only had one touch in the opposition box throughout the match, again showing his inability to affect the game whilst leading the line. Nkunku’s poor performance resulted in a 4/10 match rating from football.london.
This had a knock-on effect on the team, with the wingers reluctant to put crosses into the box with no one substantial to aim at, a lack of runners in behind making the pitch more condensed for the Chelsea midfield players, and an overall lack of balance in the side.
Maresca will be hoping Jackson is back in time for their next game, facing Brighton again, this time in the Premier League in just five days’ time, otherwise, the outcome could be similar with those same problems cropping up once more. Truth be told, he must be replaced at the earliest convenience.
He lost the ball 21 times: 4/10 Chelsea dud was as bad as Nkunku v Brighton
Chelsea were poor in the FA Cup fourth round as they slumped to defeat against the Seagulls.
1 ByJoe NuttallFeb 9, 2025
