Chelsea’s hopes of winning the FA Cup were crushed after a 2-1 defeat against Brighton in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Manchester City narrowly avoided an upset against third-tier side Leyton Orient with a 2-1 victory.
Chelsea, who have not lifted a domestic trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2018, started the match on a promising note. In just the fifth minute, Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made a costly error, failing to handle Cole Palmer’s cross, which resulted in an own goal. However, Chelsea could not capitalize on their early lead.
Brighton, eager to recover from their humiliating 7-0 Premier League loss to Nottingham Forest the previous weekend, quickly responded. In the 12th minute, Joel Veltman delivered a well-placed cross that found Georginio Rutter, who managed to squeeze his header past Chelsea defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo.
The home side completed their comeback in the 57th minute when Kaoru Mitoma skillfully placed the ball past Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Despite Chelsea’s protests for a handball, the goal stood, sealing their exit from the competition.
Meanwhile, at Brisbane Road, Manchester City faced an early setback against Leyton Orient. Jamie Donley’s long-range shot struck the crossbar and rebounded off City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, putting the underdogs ahead.
City equalized in the 56th minute when Rico Lewis’s shot deflected off Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov, marking his first goal for the club since joining in January. With just 11 minutes left, Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench and secured the win with a crucial goal.
