Despite dominating the opening stages and taking the lead through Enzo Fernandez’s header, The Blues unravelled after a costly red card to Trevoh Chalobah eight minutes into the second half.
The Seagulls capitalised ruthlessly, equalising through Danny Welbeck before scoring twice in stoppage time – Danny Welbeck adding his second after Maxim De Cuyper had scored his first goal since joining in the summer from Club Brugge.
“It’s a tough one because we were in control of the game,” Maresca said. “We scored one, we could have scored more, and we didn’t concede anything (in the first half).
“They just told me also, in terms of data, we had so many shots in the first half, 70% of possession – everything was fine. And then suddenly, because of our mistake, and then with the red card, the plan completely changed.”
Chalobah was given his marching orders after a tackle from behind on Diego Gomez, denying a goalscoring opportunity.
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Despite a wealth of attacking players, Chelsea still look poor defensively
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His dismissal – Chelsea’s second red card in as many league games following Robert Sanchez’s early sending-off at Manchester United – was a turning point, with Maresca acknowledging the impact it had on his side’s ability to manage the game.
“For me, we played two games: the first half, and then unfortunately, after the red card,” he added. “You cannot continue to make mistakes, also because they are big mistakes in terms of game changes – the red card at Manchester United, and the red card today.”
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Robert Sanchez was sent off last weekend at Man Utd
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Chelsea were forced into makeshift defensive measures, including the introduction of teenage defender Josh Acheampong, who Maresca revealed had not been fully fit in the days before the match.
“Josh came on and he was ill over the last week,” the Blues boss explained. “At that moment, our two central defenders were Josh and Jorrel (Hato), both fantastic players and talents, but not with many Premier League games. When you’re down to 10 players, it’s a moment you have to manage – and it’s not easy.”
It is now back-to-back defeats for Chelsea, with Maresca urging his players to “learn quickly”.
“The message we just said inside has been quite clear: against any team in the Premier League, you cannot continue to give away presents,” he said.
“What we are doing in this moment is to give away presents in terms of red cards. That is a big mistake because the game completely changes.”
Maresca admitted the team must quickly adapt if they are to avoid a repeat of last season’s inconsistency.
“We need to learn, and we need to learn quickly,” he said. “It can be a mix of experience or a mix of simple mistakes. But if you just watch the first half today, you don’t think about the injured players – because again, we were in control, dominating the game.
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Reece James’ performance was one of few positives for Chelsea
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“But unfortunately, it’s the reality of the last two games. With two red cards, everything changes.”
Last week, Manchester United took advantage of Chelsea being down to 10, and this time it was Brighton who cashed in – with Welbeck nodding in Yankuba Minteh’s cross 13 minutes from time to tilt the game in their favour.
Brighton turned the screw and made their numerical advantage count in stoppage time – much to the delight of manager Fabian Hurzeler.
“Chelsea dominated us until the goal and then everything changed,” the German said. “We were better in possession, then played with much more courage.
“The red card always helps but it doesn’t always mean there is an advantage on the pitch. Sometimes it can get even harder to create something but my players remained patient.”
