Chelsea’s FA Cup elimination in the fourth round has been characterised by Coach Enzo Maresca as a great shame for the team.
Brighton overcame a 0-1 deficit to defeat the Blues and advance to the fifth round.
Chelsea went ahead early on when Cole Palmer’s volleyed pass from the left flank was fumbled into his own net by keeper Bart Verbruggen.
However, Albion responded when Georginio Rutter headed in Joel Veltman’s cross to tie the score and then created a chance for Kaoru Mitoma to dink the ball past Robert Sanchez, the former Brighton goalkeeper.
Despite the ball hitting former Chelsea player Tariq Lamptey’s arm during the build-up, Mitoma’s winning goal was permitted to stand.
It served as an example of a game that a top team would win, according to head coach Maresca.
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“I said to the players weeks ago and I said again tonight: we need to learn how to sometimes win a game 1-0,” he said after the game.
“Big clubs do that. For sure, it’s a big shame for us.”
“If there is something positive it’s that now we can be focused on the Premier League and the Conference League,” Maresca said.
“Especially in the Premier League, hopefully we can continue our journey there. That has been very good until now and hopefully we can finish well.”
This season, Chelsea still has a chance to win a trophy in the Uefa Conference League.
