Enzo Fernandez spent well over two minutes at the final whistle, staring aimlessly at a sparsely filled away section of the Amex Stadium, as Chelsea fans vented their wrath: at him, at the owners, at coach Liam Rosenior, at anyone within shouting distance.The Argentina international, a World Cup winner, stood motionless, save for the occasional clearing of the throat, as if he didnt know what to do. It mirrored his display over the preceding 90 minutes.Chelsea were a rudderless mess at Brighton last night, losing 3-0 and failing to muster a shot on target.They slipped to seventh in the Premier League as a result, below a vastly superior Seagulls side, with their hopes of playing in next seasons Champions League now in serious jeopardy. It was Chelseas fifth consecutive defeat without scoring their worst such sequence since 1912.There was a special irony in losing to Brighton, a well-run club that have been able to build, and rebuild their squad across several iterations thanks largely to selling cleverly acquired players to Chelsea for around �280million. Former home favourites Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo were a part of last nights shambles while Joao Pedro watched on.Table of ContentsBlame for Chelsea shambles should not fall solely on RoseniorChelsea model flawed and requiring urgent reviewBlame for Chelsea shambles should not fall solely on RoseniorIt would be easy to blame Rosenior for the performance, his switch to five at the back failed spectacularly with Brightons clever movement causing issues all night. Has he made Chelsea better since succeeding Enzo Maresca, under whom the club were crowned world champions? The answer is an emphatic no.However, it is impossible not to feel some sympathy for the Londoner. He has proved himself elsewhere as a bright young coach but has been dropped into a dressing room full of young millionaires on eight-year deals and clearly lacking motivation.The players levels of effort last night made it clear they werent playing for their boss, or the club. They were going through the motions.Rosenior went into self-preservation mode afterwards.He said: I keep coming out and defending the players thats indefensible, that performance tonight.The manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels that we lost, the lack of intensity in the team. Something needs to change drastically right now.I think the players need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in. You can talk about tactics tactics come after the basics.Having more courage to play, winning duels, winning headers, tackles, conceding terrible goals. That was an unacceptable performance tonight.Chelsea model flawed and requiring urgent reviewChelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali was in the stands at the Amex and was spotted frantically typing into his phone after Danny Welbeck netted Brightons third.He may well have been texting Todd Boehly with a message that simply read: S***.Eghbali, Boehly and the rest of the Clearlake Capital consortium must also shoulder a large proportion of the blame for Chelseas current failings.Under Roman Abramovich, Chelsea steadily grew into a European powerhouse, signing elite players ready-made for the rigours of challenging at home and on the continent.The current model of signing multiple players and hoping a few come off, either to be sold or inserted into the first team, is unusual among clubs that consider themselves elite, as Chelsea do. Handing out eight-year deals to help circumnavigate financial rules is also small time.Eghbali hinted recently at a change in policy going forward, and Chelsea desperately need some experience in the squad. Last night, there was no-one to grab hold of the team, rattle a few bones and rouse them from their slumber.Their next assignment is Sundays FA Cup semi-final against Leeds. The clash between two age-old rivals feels a pivotal moment for Rosenior, in particular. He has to show he can get a tune from this squad, can inspire and organise and, most importantly, get a much-needed win.If he cant then Chelsea, and captain Fernandez, will be staring into the abysss once more. Topics Chelsea F.C. Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Brighton v Chelsea: Live text updates, goals and stats as it happened Jon Fisher 22nd April, 2026 Brighton 3-0 Chelsea: Report, result and goals as Blues suffer fifth straight league defeat Nicholas McGee 21st April, 2026 Brighton vs Chelsea live: Confirmed teams and full lineups in Premier League, TV channel, live online stream as Cole Palmer misses out Ben Miller 21st April, 2026 Brighton v Chelsea: Line-ups, stats and preview Nicholas McGee 21st April, 2026 Rosenior insists he has 100% Chelsea support after four straight defeats Mitch Fretton 20th April, 2026 Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United: Cunha strike gives Red Devils all three points at Stamford Bridge 101 GreatGoals 18th April, 2026
Read More
TakeSporty
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by TakeSporty.
Publisher: 101 Great Goals

Recent Articles

Get Updates on Current Happenings instantly

Get Updates on Current Happenings instantly