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Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has said that his team targeted two Chelsea defenders in their 4-1 Premier League victory win Graham Potter's side on Saturday (October 29).
The Seagulls registered their first win under De Zerbi in front of a packed and exuberant Amex Stadium in the Premier League. Brighton produced a quality performance against the in-form Blues, who dropped points for the third straight Premier League game.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring with a fifth-minute strike before Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Trevoh Chalobah scored first-half own goals. Kai Havertz pulled one back after the restart, but Pascal Gross restored Brighton's three-goal lead in injury time.
At a post-match press conference, De Zerbi shed light on his tactical approach against Chelsea, which yielded rich dividends. He said (via Metro):
"We prepared the game one-to-one with (Kaoru) Mitoma with Chalobah and one-to-one Solly March against Cucurella. But Trossard was fantastic, Adam Lallana the same. All the players were fantastic."
Sharing his thoughts on the emphatic win, De Zerbi added:
"I am very happy for the players, the club and the people who work with the team. And, of course, the great fans because they were the best players on the pitch – they helped us so much. The first 20-25 minutes we were fantastic, in how we played with and without the ball. We played with an intensity I liked."
He said that he would remain grounded despite the win, as he failed to adapt to one of Potter's tactical tweaks during the game. De Zerbi said:
"I won't be celebrating too much, because next Saturday is another game, and I made a mistake because they made a tactical change, and I didn't adapt. But 4-1 against Chelsea is still an amazing result, and I hope everyone enjoys it."
Chelsea dropped to fifth in the standings with 21 points from 12 games, three behind Newcastle United.
Chelsea reignite Denzel Dumfries interest
According to 90min, Chelsea have retained their interest in Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries. The Blues have had their eyes on the Netherlands international for a while and had a conversation with the Serie A outfit earlier this summer regarding a transfer.
Dumfries, 26, has been a key player for Inter since arriving from PSV for a fee in the region of £12 million last summer. He has registered seven goals and nine assists in 62 appearances across competitions.
Due to a recent knee injury to Reece James, the Blues have identified Dumfries as the ideal backup. However, the player is likely to cost a fortune, as he has a contract at the San Siro till 2025.
