With Nicolas Jackson sidelined for up to eight weeks due to a hamstring injury, Maresca was forced to deploy Christopher Nkunku as a makeshift striker—a move that failed to yield results. The Blues endured a miserable night at the Amex, failing to register a single shot on target and suffering back-to-back losses at the venue.

“It’s difficult when you don’t have a proper number nine,” Maresca confessed. “You always have to find alternative solutions. In the final third, we struggled to execute what we were doing well just a couple of weeks ago.”

The Chelsea boss also acknowledged this as the club’s toughest moment since his arrival but urged his team to finish the season strong.

Brighton, on the other hand, were clinical. Kaoru Mitoma opened the scoring with a superb first-half finish before Yakunba Minteh netted twice—either side of halftime—to secure a dominant victory for the Seagulls.

🔵 Can Chelsea bounce back from this slump? Let us know your thoughts!