Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck were on target as Brighton & Hove Albion comfortably beat Chelsea 3-0 at Amex Stadium on Tuesday to leapfrog The Blues into sixth place.
The defeat was Chelsea’s fifth Premier League loss in a row, while they have now gone five successive games in the division without scoring - breaking a run that stretches back 114 years.
Liam Rosenior’s side have capitulated in recent weeks, and have surely waved goodbye to any chance of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next campaign. Having played a game more than those around them, The Blues could drop as low as 11th by Saturday night.
The game could not have started better for Brighton, who scored within three minutes through Kadioglu’s effort - his first of the season - as he lashed the ball beyond Robert Sanchez from a corner.
Chelsea were lucky to be just one goal behind at the break, but it did not take long for Brighton to double their lead when Hinshelwood slotted home excellently 10 minutes into the second half.
The Blues hardly threatened the Brighton goal, and Welbeck came off the bench to smash a third beyond Sanchez in added time to add gloss to the scoreline.
Brighton take on Newcastle United next as they look to strengthen their grip on the UEFA Europa League spot, while Chelsea will look to reboot their desperate attempt to secure European football at home to Nottingham Forest.