As Chelsea prepare for back-to-back trips to Brighton—first in the FA Cup and then in the Premier League—club historian Rick Glanvill and statistician Paul Dutton reflect on the historic significance of their first FA Cup meeting in 52 years.
Ahead of their crucial FA Cup fourth-round tie at the Amex Stadium, Chelsea and Brighton are set to renew a rivalry that hasn’t seen an FA Cup clash in over five decades. Club historian Rick Glanvill and statistician Paul Dutton have turned their attention to this storied fixture, highlighting that the two clubs have developed a unique familiarity over the years, despite rarely meeting in this competition. The fixture is particularly significant as Brighton have been winless in five games at the Amex since November, while Chelsea, having enjoyed recent successes—including a 4–2 home league win following Cole Palmer’s four-goal masterclass—are keen to extend their unbeaten record away against Brighton.
With both clubs set to lock horns in the league the following Friday as well, the historical context is enriched by records dating back to a third-round FA Cup match in 1933 and subsequent encounters in 1967 and 1973. In recent matches, Chelsea have shown their superiority over Brighton by winning the last four encounters across all competitions, with the majority of these wins secured at Stamford Bridge. However, the upcoming tie is shadowed by concerns over squad fitness; key players such as Nicolas Jackson, who was injured against West Ham, and Marc Guiu, who left the field with an injury, are absent from the lineup. This FA Cup fixture not only offers a platform for historical reflection but also presents an opportunity for Chelsea to gain momentum as they prepare for the challenges ahead.
