Brighton vs Chelsea LIVE: FA Cup result and reaction as Mitoma brilliantly seals Seagulls win
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea: The Seagulls got back to winning ways in style to edge Chelsea out of the FA Cup
Brighton have bounced back from ignominy at Nottingham Forest in style as they came from behind to defeat Chelsea in all Premier League FA Cup fourth round clash.
It was a nightmare for the hosts as Bart Verbruggen produced a howler to gift Chelsea the lead, parrying Cole Palmer’s bouncing delivery into his own side-netting on five minutes.
However, Brighton responded superbly to falling behind, with Georginio Rutter latching on to a fantastic Joel Veltman cross to equalise just seven minutes later.
They continued to be the better team for much of the contest and got their reward after the break, with Kaoru Mitoma brilliantly flicking over Robert Sanchez to complete Brighton’s turnaround.
Relive all the action from the FA Cup with our live blog below:
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
88 mins: Lovely move from Brighton as Danny Welbeck and co. flick it between each other before Joao Pedro receives the ball on the edge of the box.
The Brazilian tries to then slip it through to Mitoma but his pass is cut out.
That be Welbeck’s last involvement as he comes off for Matt O’Reilly.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
84 mins: Veltman is caught in no-man’s land, allowing George to break into space down the left.
He drives into the box but blazes his shot high and wide. That sort of sums up Chelsea’s finishing tonight.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
82 mins: Cucurella just got sent tumbling towards the advertising board as he looked to keep the ball alive on the byline.
One of the biggest cheers of the night.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
80 mins: Adam Webster brings Noni Madueke down on the right side of the box, conceding a foul in a dangerous area.
The resulting delivery sees a few miss-kicks before Brighton are able to break away.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
78 mins: Appeals for a penalty as Joao Pedro gets goal-side of Malo Gusto when fighting for a bouncing ball before going down, claiming to have been pulled.
Would have been harsh on the Chelsea defender.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
75 mins: CHANCE! Brighton switch off, allowing Cucurella to dink one through to Cole Palmer.
If he got a good connection there, that could have been parity for the Blues. But he can’t get any purchase when stretching out his leg, with the ball bouncing out for a goal kick.
The missed opportunity is followed by two attacking changes for Chelsea, with Noni Madueke and Tyrique George on for Sancho and Neto.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
71 mins: Mitoma lets fly from range and while it’s straight down the throat Sanchez, the Spaniard doesn’t look confident collecting it.
It spurs out of his grasp before he pounces on the loose ball. A keeper prone to an error, lest we forget - and it’s exactly why Brighton have always got a man following in.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
69 mins: Brighton welcome new signing Diego Gomez into the fray, who comes on for Hinshelwood.
Moments later, Caicedo is booked for a chopping challenge. The resulting free-kick isn’t dealt with convincingly but no harm is done.
Brighton 2-1 Chelsea
67 mins: Sancho has been at the heart of Chelsea’s response and fashions another chance, this time for teammate Enzo Fernandez.
The Argentinian receives the ball inside the box but snatches at the shot, poking it over the bar.
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