What a waste! USMNT's Christian Pulisic hits post & gets away with handball penalty shout in rare Chelsea start against Brighton

• First start in a month for USMNT forward
• Felix benched, Havertz not in squad
• Mudryk also given chance to impress

WHAT HAPPENED? Pulisic has struggled for game time this season but was given a chance from the start as Chelsea tried to solve their goalscoring problems against the high-flying Seagulls. It didn't work, though. Pulisic didn't last an hour before being taken off while the Blues fell to a 2-1 defeat.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Pulisic formed part of a heavily-rotated Chelsea side as Lampard oversaw his first match back at Stamford Bridge since his re-appointment on an interim basis. Fringe players Trevoh Chalobah and Denis Zakaria also started, while Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling - both traditional wingers - completed the three-man attack. Joao Felix, Mateo Kovacic and Reece James were among those to have been rotated out - although they all came on late on - while Kai Havertz wasn't named in the squad.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Chelsea snatched an early goal against the run of play through Conor Gallagher via the aid of a deflection, but Brighton got a deserved equaliser just before the break. The away side spurned a host of easier chances before snatching the winner through an absolute beauty through Julio Enciso 20 minutes from time, as the Blues - and Pulisic's - barren run goes on.

HOW HE GOT ON: Like the majority of his Chelsea team-mates, it was an afternoon to forget for Pulisic. While the USMNT star recorded a shot off target, he registered just 18 touches before being hooked on 56 minutes. Pulisic was arguably lucky to escape giving away a penalty for handball early on, while he could only find the post when given the opportunity to score only his second Premier League goal all season (though Gallagher was deemed offside in the build-up). The American will have to do more if he is to stay on in west London beyond the current campaign.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

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WHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC? After the winger failed to make a significant impact against Brighton, his place in Lampard's line-up looks in jeopardy when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League on April 18.