Kaoru Mitoma’s sensational lob sealed a 2-1 comeback victory for Brighton, knocking Chelsea out of the FA Cup and sparing goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from being the villain of the night.

Chelsea took an early lead in the fifth minute when Cole Palmer’s low shot was inexplicably fumbled into the net by Verbruggen for an own goal. However, Brighton responded with determination. Georginio Rutter soared between Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo to head home Joel Veltman’s precise cross, levelling the score.

The decisive moment came in the 57th minute when Mitoma latched onto a perfectly timed through ball and executed a deft lob over Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, putting the Seagulls ahead.

While Yankuba Minteh tormented Chelsea’s defence with his relentless attacking runs, the Blues leaned heavily on Palmer for creativity. Despite dominating possession, Chelsea struggled to break down Brighton’s well-organised defence. As they pushed forward in search of an equaliser, gaps opened up at the back, leaving Chelsea vulnerable.

In the end, Brighton’s resilience and Mitoma’s brilliance proved too much, sending Chelsea crashing out of the FA Cup.

Chelsea’s only hope of silverware this season lies in winning the Conference League.

Enzo Maresca’s initial brilliance which he showed in managing a large squad and getting results with brilliant displays at the start of the season, has now waned out.