Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca labelled Trevoh Chalobah’s red card as a “game-changing mistake” in his side’s 3-1 defeat against Brighton at Stamford Bridge. The defender received his marching orders after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) penalised him for a foul on Diego Gomez, with the decision sparking a second-half collapse from the Blues on Saturday afternoon.
Chalobah sees red after Chelsea made bright start
Chelsea made a strong start to the game, taking the lead as Enzo Fernandez headed home from Reece James’ deflected cross. However the match soon turned on its head when Chalobah, 26, brought down Brighton’s in-form midfielder Gomez, who was clean through on goal. The challenge was reviewed by VAR before referee Simon Hooper subsequently sent off the Chelsea centre-back after 53 minutes.
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Down to 10 men, Chalobah’s sending off proved decisive as Chelsea then succumbed to three goals from Brighton. Danny Welbeck scored twice while Maxim de Cuyper netted the other as Fabian Hurzeler’s men secured a famous victory in west London.
Maresca unable to hide frustration following Chalobah's 'mistake'
And after the match, Chelsea boss Maresca could not hide his frustration at Chalobah’s red card, saying: “For sure, you can't continue to make mistakes. They are game-changing mistakes. After that, we try to adjust with Josh [Acheampong] inside after being ill for a week. Our two central defenders were Josh and Jorrel [Hato], who do not have many games in the Premier League.”
AFPChelsea blasted for 'giving away presents'
When pressed further on his Chelsea players losing control, with defender Benoit Badiashile having also clashed with Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, Maresca added: “I didn't see that moment that you mentioned. I don't know if it was from Benoit or the Brighton player [Dunk]. I don't see these kind of things as a consequence for the goal. The message that we just said inside is clear: against any team in the Premier League, you cannot continue to give away presents. These are big mistakes and the game completely changed.”