CHELSEA boss Graham Potter looked spooked on the eve of Halloween as he returned to former club Brighton.
And that may well have translated to his players who never got out of the starting blocks against his former side.
Potter left the Seagulls for Stamford Bridge at the beginning of last month.
And he was met by a hostile atmosphere from the Brighton fans before kick-off as they booed both him and ex-player Marc Cucurella.
It was a rather predictable response from the home supporters given the speed of Potter’s departure – he was appointed Chelsea boss just 24 hours after Thomas Tuchel was sacked.
But what wasn’t as predictable was the way both teams began the match.
Chelsea came into the game without a defeat in nine under Potter – with the former Ostersund and Swansea boss looking to make history by becoming the first English manager of the Blues to avoid losing any of his first 10 matches in charge.
But his side were facing a mountain of a task before 15 minutes were on the clock when Leandro Trossard and an own goal by Ruben Loftus-Cheek handed the hosts a two-goal lead.
Another own goal – this time from Trevoh Chalobah – gave Brighton a 3-0 advantage before the break.
And that proved too much to come back from as a Kai Havertz strike proved to be merely a consolation, with Pascal GroB wrapping things up in stoppage-time.
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Chelsea looked all at sea throughout. An utterly disjointed group who bore no resemblance to the team which had been impressing in recent weeks.
And Potter’s desire to constantly change his line-ups may have something to do with it.
The Chelsea boss has swapped out at least two players in each of his 10 matches since arriving at Stamford Bridge.
He has also tinkered with SIX different formations, trying a host of systems and personnel along the way.
And he has been saved in recent weeks by the standout performances from keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
The Spanish shot-stopper has undoubtedly postponed Chelsea’s first defeat under Potter.
Chopping and changing and riding your luck is all well and good when you’re avoiding defeat... but now things have changed.
A 4-1 thumping at the hands of his former club has to speed along Potter’s process of finding a settled XI.
Add to that the fact they host Arsenal next weekend – a fixture which could well become a bloodbath should they produce anywhere close to what they managed against Brighton.
A Carabao Cup fixture away at Manchester City follows that, before they finish with a trip to an in-form Newcastle prior to the World Cup break.
Chelsea will lose all three of those if they do not take the warning signs from this insipid display on the seaside.
Many want to see Potter succeed.
But it doesn’t matter how likeable you are, we all know how quick Chelsea are to push the panic button.
