Blues suffered their first defeat on home turf this season
Enzo Maresca's side are in seventh place in the PL standings
Fabian Hurzeler's side have also now won consecutive PL games against Chelsea
Danny Welbeck played the role of super sub as his double from the bench helped Brighton come from behind to beat 10-man Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues took the lead in the 24th minute when James' deflected cross found Enzo Fernandez at the back post, with the Argentine midfielder nodding home from close range.
However, Chelsea were shown a red card for the second game in a row, when Trevoh Chalobah was sent off for a challenge on Diego Gomez just minutes into the second half, with the original decision of no foul overturned following a pitchside review for the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.
And Brighton would make their numerical advantage count, with Welbeck coming on to power a brilliant header from Yankuba Minteh's cross into the net in the 77th minute.
There were then shouts for a penalty after Malo Gusto was believed to have caught the head of Minteh inside the box. However, after a VAR check, referee Simon Hooper stuck with his original decision.
With Chelsea making defensive changes, they were unable to withstand the Seagulls' pressure, with their back line eventually breached in the second of 11 added minutes in the second half as Mats Wieffer sent the ball across goal for Maxim De Cuyper to nod past Robert Sanchez.
Welbeck would finish the game off in the 100th minute. After being played through by Brajan Gruda, he thundered the ball in at the near post to seal an impressive away triumph.
The result moves Brighton into the top half of the Premier League table on eight points, while Chelsea dropped down to seventh in the early-season standings.
Data Debrief: Welbeck helps Seagulls soar through red mist
Welbeck has now been directly involved in seven goals (five goals, two assists) in eight Premier League games against Chelsea for Brighton, more than against any other side in the competition for the Seagulls.
Fabian Hurzeler's side have also now won consecutive Premier League games against Chelsea for the second time (also April 2023), winning four of their last seven against the Blues (L3), after failing to win any of their first 10 against them in the competition (D4 L6).
Chelsea, meanwhile, lost by 2+ goals having been ahead at half-time in a Premier League home game for the first time since October 2011 against Arsenal (5-3).
But they were not helped by Chalobah's dismissal. Indeed, Chelsea have been shown a red card in consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since December 2023, with the second game back then also coming against Brighton.
