Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures Behind the Lines Sportswriters discuss their careers and the work that inspires them. Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Brighton's Yankuba Minteh celebrates scoring a goal.Alamy Stock Photo Freeemphatic Brighton dent Chelsea's Champions League hopes with thumping 3-0 win Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh supplied the goals for Brighton. 10.23pm, 14 Feb 2025 Share options CHELSEA SUFFERED A crippling sense of deja vu after Kaoru Mitoma’s eye-catching opener and Yankuba Minteh’s double earned Brighton a thumping 3-0 Premier League win at the Amex Stadium. Six days on from slipping to an FA Cup fourth-round exit in Sussex, Enzo Maresca’s Blues were ripped apart as their pursuit of Champions League qualification was damaged by a repeat result. Mitoma, who scored the winner in Saturday’s 2-1 triumph, produced a sensational first touch en route to rifling Albion into a 27th-minute lead before fellow winger Minteh struck either side of the break. A miserable south-coast outing for fourth-placed Chelsea was compounded by an early injury for Noni Madueke and they have now taken just nine points from their last nine fixtures after failing to register an attempt on target. Rampant Brighton, who were hammered 7-0 at Nottingham Forest just under a fortnight ago, climb to eighth in the table thanks to a first league success at home since early November. Chelsea head coach Maresca claimed the chance to concentrate on top-flight commitments – and the Conference League – was a positive consequence of his side’s premature cup exit. As the Blues chase a return to European football’s top club competition, the Italian made four changes to the team he selected six days earlier, while Adam Webster replaced injured captain Lewis Dunk for Albion. Advertisement Winger Madueke was among the recalled players but, with England boss Thomas Tuchel watching from the stands, he limped off inside 21 minutes to be replaced by Jadon Sancho after setting up a good chance for Cole Palmer. Palmer’s poor slice wide was the best opportunity of a cagey opening before Mitoma lit up a bitterly cold Valentine’s Day encounter with a moment of magic. Following a searching pass from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, the Japan winger sublimely plucked the ball out of the air before beating Trevoh Chalobah and rifling into the bottom right corner from inside the D. Chelsea briefly thought they had levelled 10 minutes short of half-time when captain Enzo Fernandez headed home Malo Gusto’s cross, only to be penalised for a push on Joel Veltman. The visitors’ frustration was heightened three minutes later following some more questionable defending. Chalobah conceded possession deep inside his own half and, after the legs of Filip Jorgensen prevented the sliding Levi Colwill turning Georginio Rutter’s cross into his own net, Danny Welbeck swiftly worked the loose ball to Minteh, who took a touch past Marc Cucurella before burying a low finish. Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler had urged home supporters to recreate the raucous atmosphere of last weekend when there were recurrent jeers for former Seagulls players Robert Sanchez, Cucurella and Moises Caicedo. Chants of “can we play you every week?” followed the second goal, while left-back Cucurella bore the brunt of the hostility after Sanchez was dropped in favour first-choice keeper Jorgensen. Caicedo provoked anger from the terraces and was booked for a scything challenge on Mitoma in the closing stages of a first half in which Chelsea dominated possession but failed to trouble Verbruggen. Amid the ongoing injury absence of first-choice striker Nicolas Jackson and following the early loss of Madueke, Maresca initially opted against changes as he sent out his players early for the second period. Chelsea continued to spend plenty of time in opposition territory. Yet their lack of threat also persisted and Albion killed off the contest in the 63rd minute. With the visitors appealing in vain for a foul on Colwill in the build-up, Minteh exchanged passes with Welbeck before cutting in from the right and finishing via a slight deflection off Chalobah. Maresca responded with a triple alteration but the damage had already been done. Jorgensen prevented a worse scoreline by pushing a Veltman effort on to the right post as Brighton, who did require Verbruggen to prevent Adam Webster scoring a late own goal, cruised to a resounding victory. Press Association View 4 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Brighton dent Chelsea's Champions League hopes with thumping 3-0 win”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Brighton dent Chelsea's Champions League hopes with thumping 3-0 win”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Premier League News in 60 seconds FreeRivalry Guardiola taunts Liverpool over Man City's 100-point record 13 mins ago FreeRound 2 McIlroy in contention at Genesis Invitational as Lowry slips back 15 mins ago League of Ireland Power cut at Tolka but champions Shelbourne blow Derry City away David Sneyd reports from Tolka Park 34 mins ago FreeNo Separating Them Cork City and Galway United finish all square after four-goal battle FreeAs it happened League of Ireland Premier Division opening night Leinster hold on for narrow win against gutsy Ospreys to continue unbeaten run FreeStalemate Mason Melia cameo not enough as Pat's frustrated at home by resilient Drogheda Gavin Cooney reports from Richmond Park FreeAs it happened League of Ireland Premier Division opening night A Penny For Them 'It's the best club in the world' - Penny happy at Leinster despite limited game time Josh Wycherley's return the only change to Munster's XV to face Scarlets 5 gifted young players to watch in the League of Ireland this season more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account