Brighton, Feb 15 : Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca struggled to conceal his frustration after his team suffered a 0-3 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday and labelled it as team's "worst performance" since his arrival.

Chelsea failed to register a single shot on target on a forgettable night. Kaoru Mitoma, who had scored the decisive goal the previous week when Brighton eliminated Chelsea from the FA Cup, opened the scoring with a brilliant strike. Yankuba Minteh then added two more goals, as Brighton cruised to a comfortable victory, with Chelsea offering little to no offensive threat.

"Probably since I arrived, that is the worst performance, especially in the moment we are in," Maresca told Sky Sports.

"We are fourth in the league, and winning tonight, you can go one point from third and make the gap to the rest bigger, and the performance is not one you want to offer, so we are very upset and sorry for the fans that were here."

The Chelsea supporters who travelled to the south coast endured a cold night, and with several of their key attacking players sidelined by injury, the lackluster football on display did little to lift their spirits.

"For half an hour, I think we were in control but after this moment (Mitoma's goal) we looked like we could concede chances easily, and we struggled to create chances," the 45-year-old Italian explained.

"The reason why is because of the injuries in this moment, especially with the strikers ... important players are out, but we need to find a solution."

Maresca opted to deploy Christopher Nkunku as the central striker, with Cole Palmer just behind him, but neither player posed a significant threat to the Brighton defense, leaving the manager frustrated as they prepared for the journey back to London.

"This is the worst moment since I arrived, but we are still there and we need to finish in the best way," he said.

/IANS