Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are practically extinguished, after a 3-0 away defeat to Brighton.
The Blues have only one win in their last nine games in all competitions and have set a negative record, going the longest period without scoring in their Premier League history.
Chelsea's poor form has seen them lose four consecutive league matches without scoring a single goal.
However, unlike other matches where they were competitive, the first half against Brighton was very weak.
The home team started strongly, testing goalkeeper Robert Sánchez in the opening minutes, while the goal came quickly after a cross from a corner.
The ball ended up in Ferdi Kadıoğlu, whose shot was deflected by Wesley Fofana and ended up in the net.
Brighton dominated completely, creating numerous chances with Jan Paul van Hecken and Georginio Rutter, while Jake Hinshelwood missed a golden opportunity. Chelsea, on the other hand, failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.
In the second half, the first attempt came from Roméo Lavia, but without success.
Soon after, Brighton struck again through Hinshelwood after a quick counterattack.
Kaoru Mitoma was close to scoring the third goal, while Kadıoğlu had two chances to score a brace, but Sánchez reacted well this time.
In the end, the victory was sealed by substitute Danny Welbeck in extra time, giving Brighton a clean sweep, who have now won six of their last eight games and are boosting their hopes of qualifying for European competition.
With this victory, Brighton moves to 50 points in sixth place, already surpassing Chelsea, which has fallen to seventh place, with 48 points.
Meanwhile, the situation at Chelsea is alarming: five consecutive Premier League defeats for the first time since 1993 and a goalless streak not seen in 114 years.
On Sunday, they will face Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, but it remains to be seen whether manager Liam Rosenior will still be on the bench./Express newspaper/
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