The Media Review: Chelsea thumped at the Amex

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Goals from Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck gave the papers plenty to discuss.

Nick Szczepanik

2026-04-22T00:00+01:00

Danny Welbeck made it 3-0 on the night. 📸 by Sam Stephenson.

The morning papers were split over Tuesday’s 3-0 home victory for Fabian Hurzeler’s men, but John Brewin of The Guardian began with praise for the Seagulls rather than woe for the Blues.

“Perhaps time to celebrate Brighton’s achievements, though it would be hard not to view this windswept South Coast evening through the lens of Chelsea’s latest crisis,” he wrote. “Following another grim chapter in the Liam Rosenior saga, his name taken in vain by angry away fans, Chelsea look on at Brighton as an example of responsible stewardship, of careful recruitment, a model they have failed to emulate and now lag behind in the Premier League table.

“Brighton’s return to the European football enjoyed under Roberto De Zerbi is fully on the cards. Fabian Hürzeler, an appointment in which there was considerable doubt earlier this season, has revived his team. He has still never been defeated by an opposing English manager.

"Goals by Ferdi Kadioglu and Jack Hinshelwood had done damage to Chelsea, even if much of it was self-inflicted. The margin of victory might have been far more by the time Danny Welbeck scored the third in stoppage time to complete as convincing a win – and defeat – as it gets.

#brightonandhovealbion #burnley #matswieffer Extended highlights as Fabian Hurzeler's men took on Chelsea at the Amex. Highlights in partnership with @mpbcom. Buy, sell and trade used camera gear. https://bit.ly/MPB457

“If Chelsea were mournfully bad, they were picked off by opponents motivated by having plenty to play for, full of movement and creativity, the diametric opposite of the visitors.”

The i Paper followed suit, “A sixth win in eight games boosted Brighton’s European hopes as they beat Chelsea for the fourth meeting in succession and leapfrogged their visitors into sixth place in the Premier League. Only one team looked as if it had the Champions League places in their sights and it was not Chelsea. Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck scored the goals and Brighton could have had more.

“For under-pressure Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior it was not a happy return to Brighton, where he had been a popular player between 2015 and 2018, although it must have been strange for him to visit a stadium where he felt welcome. Indeed, he was once seen as a possible future Brighton manager – which still cannot, of course, be ruled out.

“Whether Brighton can expect to have a vacancy soon is doubtful, something that can seldom be said of Chelsea. The team they put out was borderline pathetic. Brighton simply cut them to ribbons.”

#brightonandhovealbion #chelsea Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler and goalscorers Danny Welbeck and Ferdi Kadioglu give their thoughts on Albion's emphatic performance against Chelsea.

The Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross wrote that Chelsea “were run ragged by Brighton and the only relief was that Fabian Hurzeler’s side did not score more goals, which would have only increased the pressure on Rosenior.

“The home fans were even chanting Rosenior’s name themselves as he used to play for Brighton and that just rubbed salt in the wounds.

“Brighton were ahead inside three minutes. Man of the match Pascal Gross sent over and corner, it was flicked on and there was Ferdi Kadioglu to drove home his first goal in 17 months.

“Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez kept his team in it. But he made yet another error as his pass went straight to Carlos Baleba who laid it off to Jack Hinshelwood who seemed certain to score but fit-again Trevoh Chalobah made a heroic last-ditch clearance.

Carlos Baleba put in a terrific performance in midfield against the Blues. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

“But for all of Brighton’s superiority, they had to wait for a second. It came after 56 minutes. Chelsea appealed in vain when the ball hit Yankuba Minteh’s arm but referee Craig Pawson waved it away.

“Georginio Rutter led the charge, he laid the ball off for Hinshelwood and the Brighton midfielder swept home to make the result safe.

“Finally Brighton got a third which was no more than they deserved as supersub Danny Welbeck steered in from close range.”

Sam Dean of The Daily Telegraph thought that “Chelsea’s broken players were bullied and cowed by their opponents. None more so than Moisés Caicedo, the former Brighton player, in the moments leading to the home side’s second goal.

Jack Hinshelwood made it 2-0 on the night, after being picked out by Georginio Rutter. 📸 by Sam Stephenson.

"Chelsea’s midfield hard man, a £115m signing, was left floundering on the turf as Georginio Rutter and Jack Hinshelwood surged forward to score. As a single snapshot, it encapsulated this game better than any other.

“One of the many mistakes made by Chelsea’s BlueCo owners in recent years has been to make an enemy out of Brighton. The consistent poaching of Brighton’s players and staff has made this a grudge fixture for the south coast club, and the home fans luxuriated gleefully in this thrashing of the supposed bigger club.

“Brighton, who struck through Ferdi Kadioglu, Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck, have won three league games in a row against Chelsea. Their superiority also now extends to the Premier League table, with this victory taking them above Chelsea into sixth.”

Daniel King of the The Sun gave “full credit to the Seagulls and head coach Fabian Hurzeler for taking advantage of the Blues’ weakness.

Ferdi Kadioglu put Albion in front early on. 📸 by James Boardman.

“How the home crowd enjoyed it. Hurzeler’s side dominated and sometimes bullied a visiting team which had three former Brighton players in it, even without Joao Pedro.

“Victory took the Seagulls above Chelsea and up to sixth in the table, right in the hunt for European football.

“Inside three minutes Pascal Gross had tons of space down the Brighton right to send in a cross which Kaoru Mitoma met on the volley.

“Unlike in the weekend game at Spurs, the Japanese winger’s shot was saved.

😁🤳 pic.twitter.com/h8TjnDvtd2
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 22, 2026

“But Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was beaten after the resulting corner. Jorrel Hato’s weak header fell for Kadioglu and Wes Fofana helped the ball past Sanchez.

“Hurzeler’s team could smell the fear and attacked like Seagulls divebombing tourists for their chips on the Pier.

“The only fear for the home fans was their team would pay for not turning their domination into more goals.

“Minteh escaped being called for handball and hacked clear. Somehow Chelsea were two against two at the back, which became two versus one when Caicedo fell over and decided only to jog back.

“Rutter charged on towards Chalobah then played in Hinshelwood, who swept the ball home first time.

“Welbeck’s late third was just another nail in the coffin.”