Brighton player ratings vs Chelsea: Two 5s and four 7s as Albion fail to beat ten men in fiery and controversial battle

Enzo Fernandez and Colwill scored in the 17th and 21st minute respectively to put the Blues in control, only for Facundo Buonanotte to curl in a beauty shortly before the break.

Conor Gallagher picked up a second yellow card in first-half stoppage time as Albion well and truly came alive, only for Fernandez to grab his second from the spot in the 65th minute after James Milner conceded a contentious penalty on Mykhailo Mudryk.

Roberto De Zerbi's men pulled another back through substitute Joao Pedro's late header but the home side held on to close to within three points and two places of the eighth-positioned Seagulls.

Here is how Sussex World rated Brighton's players in west London in a match that bordered on farcical at times under referee Craig Pawson...

Jason Steele - 6: Very little he could do about Chelsea's first and second goals but made a stunning diving save to stop Igor Julio scoring an own goal late in the first half. A solid display despite conceding three.

Joel Veltman - 5: Struggled with the pacey Mykhailo Mudryk on a number of occasions in the opening 45. Has had better days in a Brighton shirt.

Jan Paul van Hecke - 6: Wasn't able to continue his excellent recent form as he arguably wasn't tight enough to Fernandez for Chelsea's soft opener and some of his defending and passing were subpar. Looked more comfortable in the second half.

Igor Julio - 7: Drove out well from defence and made some excellent last-ditch tackles and interceptions to avert the danger. Was the pick of Brighton's defenders.

Jack Hinshelwood - 6: Fared fairly well against Raheem Sterling as a makeshift left-back. Was overpowered by Benoit Badiashile in the build-up to Chelsea's opener.

Carlos Baleba - 6: The teenager was in the thick of the action but perhaps showed a bit of naivety at times and needed a tad more composure in the centre of the park.

Billy Gilmour - 6: Was initially overshadowed by his old side in midfield but managed to get more of a foot on the ball as the game wore on. Needs to stamp his authority more in games like these.

Adam Lallana - 6: Wasn't able to get into dangerous attacking areas enough but still produced some neat tricks and flicks. Volleyed wide just before getting substituted. Assisted Buonanotte’s goal.

Facundo Buonanotte - 7: Looked like he may have a long day up against Colwill but responded in excellent fashion with a sumptuous curling effort for his first goal of the season on a rare Premier League start.

Simon Adingra - 5: Did well in build-up to Brighton’s goal but the winger was caught out by the offside trap multiple times and wasn't quite as effective on the left flank than on the right. His final ball needed to be better.

Evan Ferguson - 6: Had to feed off scraps for long periods and wasn't really given a chance to pose a threat to Chelsea's defence as he kept receiving the ball a long way out and with his back to the goal.

Substitutes:

Kaoru Mitoma - 6: Made a couple of slaloming runs off the bench but isn't as sharp as he was pre-injury. The Japanese international was a threat late on, though.

Joao Pedro - 7: Was industrious when he came on and provided a spark down the left. Took his goal well with a lovely glancing header.

James Milner - 6: One of his first touches after coming off the bench was to concede a debatable penalty to Mudryk. Produced a great delivery for Pedro's header.

Pascal Gross - 7: Conducted proceedings nicely when he came on and had a couple of good efforts on goal.

Benicio Baker-Boaitey - 6: The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut but had little to no touches of the ball.