Chelsea’s rollercoaster season took another painful turn at Stamford Bridge as the Blues fell 3-1 to Brighton.

What made it sting more was that Enzo Maresca’s side looked firmly in control during the first half, only for Trevoh Chalobah’s red card to flip the match on its head.

Enzo Fernández had given Chelsea the lead with a powerful header, and for the opening 40 minutes, everything pointed towards a much-needed victory. But when Chalobah was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, Brighton capitalised ruthlessly.

Maresca admitted the turning point was obvious.

“It’s a tough one because we were in control of the game [before the red card],” Maresca said.

“We didn’t concede nothing. We had so many shots first-half, 70% possession, everything was fine. Because of our mistake, the red card, the plan completely changed.

“We played two games: the first-half and then after the red card.

“For sure, you can’t continue to make mistakes. They are game-changing mistakes.

“After that, we try to adjust with Josh being inside after being ill for a week. Our two central defenders were Josh and Jorrel, who do not have many games in the Premier League.”