Why Trevoh Chalobah will only miss one Chelsea game instead of three after red card

Trevoh Chalobah was shown a red card in Chelsea's 3-1 defeat to Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues were leading by a single goal early in the second half when an error from Andrey Santos put his teammate in a tricky spot.

Brighton's Diego Gomez was charging towards goal, and as the last man, Chalobah took him down. After a lengthy VAR review, Darren England suggested that referee Simon Hooper check the pitch-side monitor, resulting in Chalobah being sent off.

Chalobah will now serve a one-match ban from domestic English football. This is the standard punishment for red cards given for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, as confirmed by the referee's on-field announcement.

It comes after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off just six days earlier in the previous weekend's loss to Manchester United for the same reason - not violent conduct. This meant the suspension lasted only one match instead of three.

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Chelsea's next domestic match is their last before the upcoming international break. They welcome reigning champions Liverpool to Stamford Bridge next Saturday, 4 October, with a 5:30pm kick-off.

This means Chalobah will still be able to play in the Blues' Champions League match against SL Benfica, also at Stamford Bridge, which is scheduled for the earlier date of Tuesday, 30 September.

The 26-year-old is set to make a comeback to Premier League action after the international break, when Enzo Maresca's squad heads to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, 18 October.

Following Chalobah's dismissal, Brighton seized their opportunity and netted three goals before the final whistle. Two goals from Danny Welbeck sandwiched another from Maxim De Cuyper.

"It's a tough one because we were in control of the game, we scored one, we scored more, we didn't concede nothing, they just said to me also in terms of data, we had so many shots in the first half, 70 percent of possession, everything was fine," Maresca explained.

"And then suddenly, because of our mistake, and then with the red card, again, the plan completely changed.

"So for me we played two games, first-half, and then unfortunately after the red card."

With Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill all sidelined due to injuries, Maresca has another issue to address ahead of Liverpool's visit.

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