Chelsea knocked out by Mitoma’s flick as Brighton advance

LONDON: Kaoru Mitoma sealed Brighton & Hove Albion’s 2-1 comeback home victory over Premier League rival Chelsea to send the south coast club into the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday.

Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen gifted Chelsea a fifth-minute lead when he bundled a cross by Cole Palmer into his own net under no pressure.

The host was not behind for long, however, as Georginio Rutter equalised seven minutes later with a glancing header.

Palmer should have restored eight-time Cup winner Chelsea’s lead before half-time but Brighton was superior after the break and Japanese winger Mitoma sealed the tie in the 57th minute with a flicked finish over Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez.

Defeat means Chelsea has not won away in any competition since early December and its only realistic chance of silverware in manager Enzo Maresca’s first season at the helm is in the UEFA Conference League.

Brighton has been inconsistent in the league under its 31-year-old manager Fabian Hurzeler but it provided a great response to last week’s 7-0 drubbing by Nottingham Forest, especially after such a calamitous start.

Things looked bad for the host when Palmer volleyed a cross towards goal and Verbruggen spilled the ball into his goal.

Rutter spared his blushes soon after though as Joel Veltman’s cross from the right evaded two Chelsea defenders and the Frenchman guided his header beyond Sanchez.

There was a hint of controversy about Brighton’s winner with a suspicion of handball in the build-up before Mitoma showed a cool head to lift his finish over Sanchez.

Over at the St. Andrew’s Stadium, Newcastle United recovered from an early setback as they won 3-2 at third-tier leader Birmingham City with Joe Willock twice on target for the League Cup finalists. Agencies

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