There are ways to react to going down to 10. Some managers decide attack is the best form of defence, but Enzo Maresca has twice gone in the other direction. Chelsea’s head coach made a baffling call during last Saturday’s loss to Manchester United, responding to Robert Sánchez’s early red card by removing too many offensive players, and it was less than encouraging to see Maresca decide there was no reason to tweak his approach when his stuttering side found themselves at a numerical disadvantage against Brighton.
The frustration from the fans was audible as Chelsea fell back after Trevoh Chalobah was sent off early in the second half. Defensive players were introduced when Andrey Santos, Estêvão and Pedro Neto were sacrificed. Maresca had attacking options, but ignored Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Tyrique George.
