Chelsea have gone into a "tailspin," and their presence in the next edition of the Champions League already looks like a utopia. With only four games left, they have lost five straight matches in which they have not even been able to find the back of the net. The latest, against Brighton (2-0), who ended up running over them to move ahead of them into sixth place.

Rosenior was forced to intervene and gave Chelsea a radical makeover on their visit to the AMEX. With Palmer and Joao Pedro out of the squad, Chalobah came in to form a back three, Lavia accompanied Caicedo in the double pivot, and Enzo started wide on the left wing, forming a front three with Pedro Neto and Delap.

Not even two minutes had passed when Robert Sanchez saved the day by turning a volley from Mitoma, who was completely alone at the far post from a cross by Gross from the right wing, behind for a corner. The former Dortmund player was the one to take the corner... and Kadioglu exploited the lack of tension in the 'blue' defense to make it 1-0.

Chelsea could not find a way to string three passes together to try to establish themselves in the opponent's half. Unable to get past Brighton's press, Robert Sanchez reappeared to again send a header by Van Hecke from another Gross cross behind for a corner. Chalobah, however, saved a blunder by the Cartagena-born keeper on the goal line that could well have been the second for the 'seagulls.'

Rosenior's men, at least, managed to stabilize themselves without the ball to keep Brighton from continuing to generate danger. What they could not do was test Verbruggen. Beyond a few runs into space by Delap that led nowhere, Chelsea's biggest scoring chance came on a cross into the area by Cucurella that Gross sent behind for a corner.

Rosenior had no choice but to "tinker with" the team at halftime. It almost went without saying that he would take off a center-back like Chalobah to bring on Alejandro Garnacho, who challenged his marker on his first touch and laid it back for Lavia arriving. The Belgian's shot, however, went high.

In one minute, Chelsea had generated more danger than in the entire first half. But after the referee did not penalize a handball by Cucurella, blocking a cross from Minteh, Brighton wove a quick counterattack, nicely finished by Hinshelwood, hiding his shot to the near post from Robert Sanchez.

With more than half an hour still to play, Chelsea gave up. And although Robert Sanchez got two good hands to deny Kadioglu a second goal, he could do little to stop Welbeck's 3-0 in stoppage time, which sealed a defeat, the fifth straight, that could have dramatic consequences for the 'blue' side. With a game in hand, they are seven points out of fifth place... and Fulham (12th) are only three points behind.

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