Chelsea lost 1-2 to Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup on February 9th. In their next match, also away from home, Maresca's team were unable to take revenge and suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat.
Manager Maresca is under increasing pressure amid Chelsea's downward spiral.
Japanese star striker Mitoma opened the scoring in the 27th minute, before striker Minteh scored a brace in the 38th and 63rd minutes to secure a consecutive victory for Brighton against Chelsea. This win propelled Fabian Hurzeler's team to eighth place in the Premier League with 37 points, and they still have a chance to compete in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Newcastle.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have yet to halt their downward spiral since December 2024 due to an injury crisis, resulting in only 2 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses. "The Blues" currently sit 4th with 43 points after 25 matches, but behind them, Man City, Newcastle (41 points), and Bournemouth (40 points) could easily overtake them in the next 1-2 rounds.
This is a complete contrast to Chelsea's situation at the start of the season, when they began strongly, consistently at the top of the table and considered strong title contenders. However, they gradually fell further and further behind league leaders Liverpool, second-placed Arsenal, and even surprise package Nottingham Forest.
Coach Maresca therefore had to utter bitter words: "I always feel pressure. But I can say that today was the worst performance from the whole team since I came to manage Chelsea. Obviously, this is not the best time. However, we are still 4th and still in the race to achieve our goals."
Coach Maresca also expressed: "We truly feel sorry for the fans who came here. At this point and in our current position, with 14 matches remaining, perhaps we need to do much better, much more than what we did today."
However, Chelsea have been receiving a series of bad news regarding their squad, with Noni Madueke suffering another injury, following previous injuries to Nico Jackson and Marc Guiu, significantly weakening their attack.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chelsea-thua-soc-brighton-2-tran-chi-trong-4-ngay-hlv-thot-loi-cay-dang-185250215074421061.htm
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