Gary Lineker has claimed that Graham Potter's reluctance to move away from a back-five was the reason for Chelsea's 4-1 loss to Brighton. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for the Seagulls before Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Trevoh Chalobah netted own goals as the Blues found themselves 3-0 down at half-time.
Kai Havertz pulled one back for the west Londoners inside the opening five minutes of the restart as Chelsea looked to mount a comeback. But, the German's effort proved uninspiring, and the visitors failed to build upon a bright start to the second half.
Pascal Gross put the final nail in the coffin in stoppage time, scoring Brighton's fourth of the afternoon. Lineker has claimed that Potter should not have used a back-five - a shape requiring proficient wing-backs - amid the absence of Reece James and utilising Marc Cucurella at centre-half.
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The former Leicester City striker and Match of the Day presenter tweeted: "Potter's system of a back three and wingers at wingback, which he changed very quickly from in Chelsea's previous league games, has failed miserably in the first half at Brighton."
Speaking to BBC Sport, Potter offered his verdict on the clash. He said: "The scoreline and the defeat is a painful one.
"We didn't really recover. Once the crowd were so engaged, it was a difficult one for us. The scoreline was painful. Brighton played a good game, especially in the first half.
"You can always look at goals and think you can do better. We have to take responsibility a bit in the first half. We have had a lot of football, but that's no excuse. We couldn't quite get to that level. We didn't take our opportunities in attack, and they did.
"We had some opportunities to attack them too, but unfortunately, we missed the pass or didn't execute, then the scoreline was a painful one. When you lose, you can always do better."
Chelsea will now set their sights on their final clash of the Champions League group stage as the Blues welcome Dinamo Zagreb to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. Potter will be hoping his side can transform their fortunes and top the group.
With a clash against Arsenal and Manchester City on the horizon, the west Londoners will want to pick up some momentum.
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