Tosin Adarabioyo has called on Chelsea to bounce back from Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, Afrosport reports.
The Blues went ahead through a Bart Verbruggen own goal in the fifth minute before the Seagulls found their way back through Georgino Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma.
The defeat was Chelsea’s earliest FA Cup exit after their 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the third round during the 2022-23 season.
Adarabioyo blamed the loss on a lack of concentration and wants his teammates to focus ahead of their next game which is still against Brighton, but this time in the Premier League.
“We didn’t break them down and create good enough chances to secure the game and we got punished at the other end,” he said per the club website.
“I see it as a lapse of concentration sometimes. We just need to continue to push on and start the game well like we did, then push that through for 90 minutes.
“Our main focus is now coming back here on Friday [against Brighton]
“We will analyse this game throughout tomorrow and throughout the week, and we will come back stronger on Friday.”
Defeat. #CFC | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/UE6G57fumm
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 8, 2025
Chelsea boss, Enzo Maresca, reacting to the defeat said: “It’s for sure a shame, no doubt. We need to learn how to win games 1-0. I said many times.
“In the same way, in the last game against West Ham we were losing but in the end we won 2-1. That is part of the season, part of football, sometimes you are down and win and sometimes it happens like in this game.
“But I said already to the players weeks ago – and said again tonight – that as a team we need to learn to win games 1-0. That is what big teams do.”
Chelsea have won the FA Cup eight times but their last triumph came during the 2017-18 campaign when they defeated Manchester United 1-0.
