Chelsea VERDICT: Why Enzo Maresca deserves critic, bad luck strikes for Estevao

Chelsea suffered a damaging 3-1 defeat by Brighton on Saturday to continue their indifferent start to the season.

Despite being faced with multiple absentees, the Blues had begun the game positively and Enzo Fernandez put them in front in the first half.

However, disaster struck when Trevoh Chalobah was dismissed early in the second period and Danny Welbeck equalised for the Seagulls on 77 minutes.

Things went from bad to worse for the Blues as Maxim De Cuyper looked to have scored the winner in added time, before Welbeck added another even later to put pressure on Enzo Maresca.

Daily Mail Sport's KIERAN GILL was at Stamford Bridge and he has picked out some key talking points from the clash.

Chelsea's ill-discipline costs them again

With £262million worth of Brighton signings in the Chelsea line-up, you can probably guess the width of the grin that Tony Bloom was wearing in Stamford Bridge’s swish seats on high.

The Seagulls’ owner emptied the Blues’ pockets for Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro and Moises Caicedo, and then watched as Enzo Maresca’s side pulled their own pants down for the second weekend in succession by failing to finish a match with 11 men.

In their 2-1 loss to Manchester United, it was Sanchez who received a straight red for denying a goalscoring opportunity. Here, it was Trevoh Chalobah who indulged in foolishness by fouling Diego Gomez after Andrey Santos had left his team-mate in the lurch.

Worse still, Chalobah’s red means he will be suspended for next week’s visit of Liverpool, as if Maresca could afford to lose another centre back. Chelsea will already be without Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana, and this comes after a summer in which the Blues boss called on his club to sign him a central defender after Levi Colwill’s ACL injury.

Chelsea cannot continue to display such ill-discipline, while Maresca will do well to emerge from this surrender without further criticism for how he reacts to reds.

Every substitution he made was defensive with Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho among the attackers ignored on the bench. Fabian Hurzeler’s subs for Brighton helped, Maresca’s did not, and he had supporters near his technical area branding him a coward when he swapped a winger in Pedro Neto for a defender in Benoit Badiashile. At full-time, boos rang round Stamford Bridge.

Whatever success they enjoyed in the summer, when they were crowned world champions in the United States, Chelsea’s fans are not happy with the naivety now on show.

Brighton's next big sale?

We thought Kaoru Mitoma might be Brighton’s next big sale, but maybe we should be turning our attention to Yankuba Minteh.

The 21-year-old winger was their most dangerous man overall here, making Cucurella’s life difficult down the visitors’ right-hand side.

When the half-time whistle went, Cucurella whispered a little something to Minteh while walking by him.

Knowing Cucurella’s combative nature, it was likelier to have been ‘is that all you’ve got?’ than ‘have mercy’.

But it was Minteh’s cross for Danny Welbeck which secured Brighton’s equaliser here, and if he continues to impress like this, bigger sides will soon have him on their radars.

Bad luck strikes again for Chelsea star

You have to feel for Estevao Willian, Chelsea’s extremely exciting 18-year-old from Brazil. Twice now he has been forced off the field because of the idiocy of others.

At Old Trafford, he was sacrificed following Sanchez’s red. Here, he was hooked again after Chalobah’s dismissal.

Before that, there was one moment where Estevao created a chance all on his own, starting with a nutmeg on Yasin Ayari.

His team-mates were less than pleased that he did not square the ball as his attempt was blocked, however.

Estevao needs to get shots away quicker because you do not get time in the Premier League like in the Brazilian Serie A, but more importantly, he could do with his team-mates not being red carded so he can remain on the pitch.

Chelsea's next target?

When Gomez scored four goals in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley in midweek, it did not take long for fans to joke that Chelsea will be in for him soon enough. He ticks multiple boxes, after all.

He’s 22 years old: tick. He’s South American: tick. He’s versatile: tick. He’s at Brighton: tick.

Gomez impressed at No 10 here and was the one fouled for Chalobah’s red card.

Blues chiefs' concerns

Brighton’s players were still celebrating their victory when the Chelsea hierarchy, led by co-owner Behdad Eghbali, made the long march across the pitch to visit the changing room.

Just like the fans, they too cannot be enthralled with Maresca’s tactics of late even if big players such as Cole Palmer and Liam Delap are missing.

Maresca took an hour to come in to see the press after full-time after speaking to his squad on being their own worst enemies.