Kaoru Mitoma scored a spectacular second-half goal as Brighton & Hove Albion came from behind to beat Chelsea, 2-1, in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, sending the Seagulls into the fifth round.
Chelsea’s breakthrough came in the fifth minute, when Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen allowed Cole Palmer’s cross to spill into his own net. But Brighton replied instantly when Georginio Rutter headed in Joel Veltman’s cross seven minutes later.
Brighton was dominant in the second half, and the Japanese winger Mitoma provided the match-defining moment in the 57th minute, lifting the ball over Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez. There had been a suspicion of handball in the lead-up to the goal, but it was allowed to stand.
The defeat means Chelsea’s winless stretch away from home extends back to December, with the UEFA Conference League their best route to silverware under Enzo Maresca. Under Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton responded to the battering they took against Nottingham Forest the previous week.
