Graham Potter’s Chelsea were thrashed 4-1 by his former club Brighton at the Amex on Saturday afternoon, ending their Premier League top-four hopes.
Potter left Brighton to become the new Chelsea manager in early September, and he did not lose any of his first eight games. Nonetheless, the Englishman’s strong start was abruptly ended on his old turf, much to the delight of Brighton fans.
On Saturday, former Potter’s club, Brighton, defeated Chelsea 4-1, thanks to goals from Leandro Trossard and Pascal Gross, as well as own goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah. For the visitors, Kai Havertz scored a late consolation goal.
“I have nothing to apologize or say sorry for,” Potter insisted full-time. “I believe I did a good job at the club and left it in good condition, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
“It’s all part of the procedure. You must suffer and feel pain in order to grow and improve. Nobody ever said we were the finished product. We must accept the pain of today and learn from it.”
To Potter’s credit, Brighton finished ninth in the Premier League last season, their best finish in the club’s 121-year history. Before accepting the Chelsea job, the Seagulls were also fourth in the table, an opportunity few managers would pass up.
Potter said of the 4-1 defeat: “Of course, the score and defeat are both painful. We never really recovered. It was difficult for us because the audience was so engaged. The final score was excruciating. Brighton played well, particularly in the first half.” You can always look at goals and believe you can outperform them. In the first half, we must assume some responsibility. There has been a lot of football, but that is no excuse. We were unable to reach that level. We failed to capitalize on our offensive opportunities, while they did.
“We had some chances to attack them as well, but we either missed the pass or didn’t execute, so the score was painful. When you lose, you can always try again.”
Chelsea are now fifth in the Premier League, three points behind Newcastle, who are fourth with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Brighton has risen to eighth place in the table. Roberto de Zerbi, Potter’s successor at the Amex, expressed his joy at working full-time.
“I am very happy for the players, the club, and the people who work with our team, as well as these wonderful fans,” he told Sky Sports. “They were the most talented player on the field. They were extremely helpful, and I am grateful. We were fantastic for the first 20-25 minutes.
“We acted like men. We have a style, and the first 20-25 minutes were absolutely fantastic. We prepared the team through one-on-one meetings. All of the players were fantastic. No, I’m not interested in celebrating anything. There’s another game next Saturday… but I’m fine with that.”