What Chelsea’s hierarchy were spotted doing after 3-1 loss vs Brighton as dressing room decision made
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Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali was seen going into the team's dressing room area after Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
It was a disastrous defeat for Chelsea after such a dominating first-half performance in which they managed to cruise to a 1-0 lead.
Trevoh Chalobah's red card, just eight minutes after the break, completely turned the tide, however.
Having an extra man on the pitch, the visitors played more openly and ended up scoring three goals to seal the win, including a brace from Danny Welbeck and Maxim De Cuyper.
It was a similar situation last week when Chelsea capitulated after going a man down against Manchester United.
The difference is that this time, many of the Chelsea hierarchy, including co-controlling owner Eghbali, were in attendance to see it happen.
According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Eghbali was seen marching straight to the dressing room area after the game.
He was accompanied by sporting directors; Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, as well as directors of football and scouting Joe Shields and Sam Jewell.
Obviously, head coach Enzo Maresca and the players are not solely responsible for the two back-to-back league defeats.
Chelsea are struggling with several injuries, particularly in the centre-back department, so the club shares some of the blame for failing to bring in a new centre-back after Levi Colwill suffered a long-term knee injury.
It is not the time to rue summer's shortcomings, though, as Chelsea are in a tight spot with big matches against Benfica and Liverpool ahead.
Chalobah's suspension worsens the situation, although fortunately, Benoit Badiashile's timely return from injury is somewhat of a relief.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.