Lampard's Chelsea loses again as Brighton rallies to win 2-1

Published Apr. 15, 2023 12:02 p.m. ET

Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Frank Lampard’s disappointing start to his second spell as Chelsea manager continued as the team lost 2-1 at home to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Julio Enciso’s 69th-minute, long-range piledriver secured victory for the visitors, who outplayed Chelsea as Lampard rang the changes for a match taking place between his team’s home-and-away games against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Lampard has taken charge of three games since coming in as interim manager following the firing of Graham Potter, and he’s lost all of them. First there was a 1-0 loss at Wolverhampton last weekend before a 2-0 defeat at Madrid on Wednesday.

This was Lampard's first game at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea took the lead against the run of play, with Conor Gallagher’s shot from the edge of the area deflecting off Brighton defender Lewis Dunk and wrong-footing recalled goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in the 13th.

Danny Welbeck came on as a substitute for the injured striker Evan Ferguson and equalized in the 42nd, heading in from Pascal Gross’ right-wing cross.

Enciso, a 19-year-old Paraguayan forward, was another first-half substitute because of an injury to Joel Veltman and he scored for the second time this season when he drove forward and fired a rising shot into the top corner from a central position 30 meters out. Enciso was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates as he celebrated in front of Brighton's fans.

Brighton stayed in seventh place.

Chelsea, after a spending spree of $630 million over the last two transfer windows, is languishing in 11th place.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports