Analysis: Will Minteh be the Seagulls' next superstar?published at 19:30 BST 27 September
19:30 BST 27 September
Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
There is an argument that Marc Cucurella is one of the best defensive left-backs in the league, but Yankuba Minteh gave him plenty of headaches over 90 minutes.
His power, speed and skill caused Cucurella all sorts of trouble and ultimately led to Danny Welbeck's equaliser.
Minteh's whipped cross for Welbeck broke down Chelsea in the 77th minute - after Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca had tried to shore up his 10-man side by throwing on defenders Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong along with defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia.
It started a sweet comeback for Brighton, who have sold more than £260m worth of players and staff to Chelsea since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the Londoners in 2022.
Seagulls owner Tony Bloom's recruitment set-up continues to unearth talents capable of competing against teams such as Chelsea, even when Chelsea keep taking their best players.
When asked whether the results will mean Chelsea sign more of his players, Fabian Hurzeler replied: "I'll have to talk with Tony. We should avoid the changes!
"It's football. You have to accept it. That's the normal business, so it's more about finding solutions and getting results."
The Austrian manager also deserves credit for his substitutions, bringing on not just Welbeck and Maxim de Cuyper to score the goals, but Mats Wieffer and Brajan Gruda to provide assists.
However, the next Brighton talent to become a target for the top clubs could well be their unplayable winger Minteh.
Chelsea 1-3 Brighton: What Hurzeler and De Cuyper saidpublished at 17:43 BST 27 September
17:43 BST 27 September
Media caption,
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side took all three points against 10-man Chelsea: "In the first minutes we suffered, then we conceded the goal and started playing football. We created chances, we were better out of possession, and after we conceded we played okay."
On making the most of Chelsea's red card: "Sometimes when you are one man up it gets more and more difficult because the other team only tries to defend. We stayed patient, we stayed calm, we played from left to right, we opened the gaps and we had some good moments."
On Danny Welbeck's brace: "I'm very happy for him because he is always there. He is a great leader and he got the reward for everything he is doing for us and himself."
On recording three wins in a row against Chelsea: "It is good, but every game is very tough against them. They are a great football team and they have great individual players. It's always an opportunity to prove who we are and it's a big challenge for us."
On whether this result can act as a springboard for the rest of the season: "When you only look at the results, maybe you can say yes. But if you look regarding the performance, maybe you can say no. The games are very tight. There are always small margins that make the difference, the small margins were on our side in this match.
"I'm sure that we can get into a good run and get into a flow. First of all, it's about hard work and staying together."
Goalscorer Maxim de Cuyper also spoke to Premier League Productions after the win: "We had some good moments, they had their moments, but we felt in the dressing room that we could still make a turnaround.
"How we started the second half was brilliant. The red card is in our favour, but it is part of the game. It is an advantage. If everybody plays 100% you have an advantage, otherwise you don't.
"We tried to keep on pressing high, tried to change the play a lot to get them running and we got the result."
On scoring his first Premier League goal: "It's amazing. You see the crowd going wild and it is the best feeling in football."
Did you know?
Danny Welbeck has been directly involved in seven goals (5 goals, 2 assists) in eight Premier League games against Chelsea for Brighton - more than against any other side in the competition.
Chelsea v Brighton: Team news published at 14:02 BST 27 September
14:02 BST 27 September
Chelsea draft in Andrey Santos and Jorrel Hato for injured duo Cole Palmer and Wesley Fofana in two changes from defeat at Manchester United last weekend.
Striker Joao Pedro also starts to face his former club.
Brighton bring in Diego Gomez after his four-goal midweek Carabao Cup haul against Barnsley in place of Brajan Gruda from last weekend's draw with Tottenham.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Hato, Cucurella, Santos, Caicedo, Estevao, Fernandez Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Crystal Palace v Liverpool" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Nottingham Forest v Sunderland", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Chelsea v Brightonpublished at 11:11 BST 27 September
11:11 BST 27 September
This is quite a big game for Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca after his side lost to Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
I was at their Carabao Cup tie with Lincoln City in midweek and they were expected to win that tie, which they did, but the Imps caused them all sorts of problems and Chelsea are just not very convincing at the moment.
It hardly helps that Cole Palmer must be a big doubt to play after he came off injured against United, and they will miss him badly if he is ruled out.
When I think of Brighton, I always think they will score goals but they can be quite inconsistent.
There are that many of their former players at Chelsea, this is like Brighton versus Brighton Old Boys - and I don't think either side will do enough to win it.
Chelsea v Brighton: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 18:59 BST 26 September
18:59 BST 26 September
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea aim to bounce back from a first league defeat of the season at Old Trafford last weekend against a Brighton side riding high after becoming the first team in League Cup history to score six goals in back-to-back matches.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's nightmare first half
Chelsea's loss to Manchester United was underpinned by a surreal first half which became the first in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions take place.
Robert Sanchez's red card after five minutes was the fastest a keeper has been sent off in the Premier League in 30 years - since Tim Flowers for Blackburn Rovers in 1995 - while Chelsea's three substitutions in the opening 21 minutes (including Cole Palmer) was the fastest any team has changed three players in a Premier League match.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca said afterwards that Palmer had not been fully fit although his removal compromised Chelsea's ability to get back into the game once United midfielder Casemiro had also been dismissed for two yellow cards.
The Blues have since survived a scare to win at Lincoln City in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Maresca made nine changes for the trip to the LNER Stadium and while first-team regulars will return at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the Chelsea boss is managing the absence of up to nine senior players, who are either injured, suspended or ineligible.
Can Brighton replicate EFL Cup performance?
Brighton have won just one of their past 12 visits to Stamford Bridge in all competitions but could this weekend provide an opportunity to improve that record against an injury-hit home team who have conceded two goals in each of their last two Premier League outings?
The Seagulls scored six goals at Barnsley in the Carabao Cup earlier this week, following a 6-0 win at Oxford United in round two, but their away form in the top flight must improve following defeats at Everton and Bournemouth so far this season.
Getting the balance right between attack and defence has been something of an issue for Fabian Hurzeler: Brighton have only kept one clean sheet in their past 17 Premier League matches, a 2-0 win over Wolves in May.
However, they are unbeaten in their past 16 games when netting the first goal (W8, D8) - meaning an early breakthrough at Stamford Bridge could be crucial.
Should Brighton upset Chelsea to win the game, don't be surprised if the winner comes from the Seagulls' stock of young talent.
Brighton's two scorers against Tottenham in the 2-2 draw last weekend were 21-year-olds Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari – something of a familiar theme.
Since the start of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, Brighton have scored 21 goals via players aged 21 or under – at least seven more than any other club.
Image caption,
Brighton have scored more goals via young players than any other Premier League team in recent seasons