Brighton & Hove Albion 0-4 Chelsea: Player Ratings
Defending champions Chelsea bounced back following their streak of winless matches in emphatic fashion as they swept aside a poor Brighton side, who once again failed to put the ball in the back of the net.
The game didn't require any time sparking into life as Chelsea raced to a two-goal lead through strikes from Eden Hazard and Willian inside the first six minutes. Brighton, despite their catastrophic start to the game, however, did grow into the tie and looked quite dangerous at times.
A brave second-half performance from the Seagulls is one of the many reasons why the scoreline reflects very harshly among the Brighton supporters as they threw men forward in an attempt to get back into the game.
Here are the Brighton and Chelsea players rated in their pulsating game at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Matt Ryan: 7/10
Made a few stunning saves to keep his team from facing further humiliation against Chelsea. His save to deny Michy Batshuayi, in particular, was very important as the Austrailian denied Chelsea from scoring their third goal in quick succession.
Ezequiel Schelotto: 7.5/10
A livewire throughout the game, Schelotto was one of the most intriguing players on the pitch. His tenacity to be at the receiving end of a pass was impressive. However, at the end of the day, the Argentine lacked the quality to make any telling difference.
Connor Goldson: 4.5/10
An awful outing for Goldson, who was largely anonymous for the most period of the game. The 25-year-old also struggled to keep check of Eden Hazard more than once.
Shane Duffy: 6/10
Although he showed terrific commitment, especially in offensive set-pieces, Shane Duffy made some terrible mistakes which gifted some great opportunities to Chelsea. He also looked very uncomfortable with his passing.
Lewis Dunk: 6.5/10
The better of the Brighton defenders, Dunk was somewhat composed compared to his defensive partners. However, that is not to say that he was anywhere near impressive in defending against Chelsea's attacking trio of Hazard, Willian and Batshuayi.
Markus Suttner: 5.5/10
His crosses were not as accurate as they should have been while his defensive actions were also quite awful.
Pascal Gross: 7/10
Was very instrumental in Brighton's creative play in the attacking third. The former Ingolstadt man produced a few dangerous crosses which caused a lot of problems for the Chelsea backline. He also looked very composed while on the ball. Got subbed off during the final phase of the game.
Dale Stephens: 6/10
Looked clueless for the most part of the game. Aside from making one or two key interceptions, the 28-year-old was totally outclassed by Brighton's much superior opponents.
Davy Propper: 6.5/10
Didn't have much influence in the first half. However, he grew into the game after the break and create a few chances for his team. That being said, the Dutch midfield always lacked the support from his teammates.
Solly March: 7/10
A very useful attacking outlet in the opposition half, Solly March always looked for an opening throughout the game. However, due to lack of support, the 23-year-old failed to make any telling difference.
Tomer Hemed: 6/10
Struggled to impose himself on the pitch as the Israeli striker was completely isolated in the final third. However, he could have pulled one back for the Seagulls in the first half where his shot was brilliantly saved by Willy Caballero.
Substitutes
Glenn Murray: 5/10
Replaced Tomer Hemed later in the second half as he was installed as a target man by Chris Hughes. However, he couldn't make much of an impact due to his lack of mobility in the attacking third.
Beram Kayal: 5.5/10
Provided some energetic moments after coming on for Pascal Gross in the second half even though he did fail to create any real chances for his team.
Jose Izquierdo: N/A
Was introduced later in the game as he replaced the tiring Solly March.