Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca labels dismal Brighton defeat the WORST loss of his tenure as he blames injuries for Blues' struggles

Maresca rued Chelsea missing an opportunity to apply pressure on the teams above them in the table after slipping to a dire 3-0 loss at the Amex Stadium. But while he described it as the "worst" performance he has seen since joining the club last summer, the Italian apportioned considerable blame to the injury crisis that has left the squad without strikers.

Nicolas Jackson missed the game as he continues what is now expected to be a lay-off until April. There was also no Marc Guiu available to stand in. Chelsea still had Cole Palmer on the pitch and Christopher Nkunku - although not a natural No.9 - filled in at the top of the pitch, but somehow failed to muster a single shot on target. Brighton took full advantage of Chelsea's malaise, having already knocked the Blues out of the FA Cup last weekend, and Kaoru Mitoma's goal just under half an hour in set the tone for the night.

"Probably since I arrived that is the worst performance, especially in the moment we are in," Maresca lamented afterwards, to BBC Sport. "We are fourth in the league and winning tonight you can go one point from third and make the gap to the rest bigger and the performance is not one you want to offer so we are very upset and sorry for the fans that were here.

"For half an hour I think we were in control but after [Mitoma's goal] we looked like we could concede chances easily and we struggled to create chances. The reason why is because of the injuries in this moment especially with the strikers...important players are out but we need to find a solution. It is difficult when you don't have a proper number nine. So you always have to find a different solution.

"In the last third we struggled doing things that until a week or two ago we were doing well. This is the worst moment since I arrived but we are still there and we need to finish in the best way."

Chelsea, having hit such a rich vein of form in late November that saw them win nine times in an unbeaten 11-game stretch, are struggling for results. It's been just three wins from their last 11 across all competitions, including three defeats in the last four. But they now have a week off to get things right on the training pitch and will look for a reset when they face a tough trip to Aston Villa next Saturday.