Frank Lampard equals worst managerial start in Chelsea history with Brighton loss

Frank Lampard has made the joint worst start by any permanent or interim manager in Chelsea's history, as the Blues crashed to a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Stamford Bridge – their 12th league loss of a miserable season.

Lampard, who was reappointed on a temporary basis following the sacking of Graham Potter earlier this month, has lost the first three games of his second spell in charge.

Of the 37 previous coaches to manage Chelsea for at least three matches, only two have lost all three: Tommy Docherty way back 1961 – and David Calderhead way, way back in 1907.

Chelsea's latest setback in a campaign chock-full of them leaves them 11th in the Premier League – 17 points off fourth-placed Manchester United and just three points above Crystal Palace, who were firmly embroiled in the relegation only a couple of weeks ago.

The Blues got off to an ideal start at Stamford Bridge as Conor Gallagher's deflected effort from the edge of the box gave them the lead inside a quarter-of-an-hour – but substitute Danny Welbeck made dominant Brighton's pressure pay, equalising with a header shortly before the break.

And it got even better for the Seagulls 21 minutes from time, when Julio Enciso drove home an absolute rocket of a winner from 25 yards to leave Kepa Arrizabalaga clutching at thin air; it was the 19-year-old Paraguayan's first Brighton goal.

For club legend Lampard, things could hardly have gone much worse since his latest return to Stamford Bridge

In his first two games back in the dugout, Chelsea's all-time leading scorer oversaw a 1-0 league loss away to struggling Wolves – and, albeit rather expectedly, a 2-0 reversal to Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Next up for the ailing Blues, it's two more home fixtures: the second leg of that tie with Real, followed by a Premier League London derby against Brentford.