Welbeck hits brace in Brighton’s 3-1 win over Chelsea
Brighton came from behind to beat an ill-disciplined Chelsea side who had a player sent off for the second successive Saturday.
Substitutes Danny Welbeck and Maxim De Cuyper scored during 11 minutes of added time as the visitors capitalised on Trevoh Chalobah’s 53rd-minute red card.
The Blues looked comfortable in the first half when Enzo Fernández headed in Reece James’ cross, helped by a deflection off Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma.
However, Mitoma played a key role in the game’s turning point, winning possession from Chelsea’s Andrey Santos — on his first Premier League start — which led to Chalobah’s desperate challenge on Georginio Rutter.
After a lengthy VAR check, Chalobah was dismissed — just seven days after goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was sent off early in their 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.
Welbeck made Chelsea pay, scoring twice. He equalised in the 77th minute with a far-post header shortly after coming on, before sealing the win in the ninth minute of stoppage time with a close-range finish.
In between, De Cuyper had headed Brighton in front from a corner in the second minute of added time.
Chelsea, who drop to seventh, left the pitch to a smattering of boos. They have not won a Premier League game since the international break, with Liverpool next to visit west London. Brighton, meanwhile, climb into 10th after another positive result against a “big six” side.
