Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has described his side’s display in their 3-0 defeat at Brighton as the “worst since I arrived.”

Fabian Hürzeler’s team comfortably dismantled the Blues in Friday night’s Premier League encounter, just five days after eliminating them from the FA Cup.

Kaoru Mitoma netted a stunning opener before Yankuba Minteh’s brace secured a dominant victory, lifting Brighton to eighth in the Premier League table.

Chelsea were dismal throughout the match, and Maresca did not hold back in his assessment.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

“This result is frustrating in every way. We deeply regret it, especially for the fans who travelled here. Given our current position, we needed to produce a far better performance than what we showed tonight.

“I think we controlled possession and kept the ball well, but as I said before the match, when you don’t have a proper number nine as a threat, you must find alternative solutions. It’s not just about creating chances.

“There are many aspects we must improve. We still have several matches left and remain in a strong position. Our focus now must be on finishing the season in the best possible way.

“At the moment, we seem vulnerable—conceding too easily and struggling to score. Before their opening goal, Brighton didn’t create many chances, but there are numerous areas where we must do better.

“It’s not just a mental issue. When you play a match like this, in a situation where you have the opportunity to widen the gap from teams behind you, yet produce a performance like that, there are clear problems we need to address.

“I feel for the fans. That was not the kind of performance we should be offering, especially at such a crucial stage of the season. We must stay united.

“I always feel pressure. Tonight’s display was the worst since I arrived, so this is a difficult moment, but we are still fourth and fighting for a European place.”

Later, speaking to BBC Sport, Maresca admitted Chelsea had squandered a crucial chance to solidify their position in the race for Champions League qualification.

“Since I arrived, that was probably our worst performance, particularly considering the circumstances.

“We are fourth in the league, and winning tonight would have taken us within a point of third place while increasing the gap to the teams below us. Instead, we delivered a display that was simply unacceptable. We are extremely disappointed and, above all, sorry for the supporters who made the trip.

“For the first 30 minutes, I thought we controlled the game, but after Mitoma’s goal, we looked fragile—conceding chances too easily and failing to create any of our own. The injuries to key attacking players, particularly our strikers, are a major factor, but we must find solutions.

“When you don’t have a recognised number nine, you have to adapt, but in the final third, we struggled to execute things we were doing well just a couple of weeks ago.

“This is the toughest spell we have faced since I took over, but we are still in the race, and we must finish as strongly as possible.”