Chelsea's season has hit rock bottom after a 3-0 thrashing at Brighton left them on a record five-game losing streak without scoring. Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, a lifelong Chelsea supporter, described the performance as 'like Man City vs Barnet' and said he's 'still numb' from what he witnessed. The World Champions have now dropped to seventh in the Premier League table, just seven points behind Liverpool with a game in hand.

Merson pulled no punches in his assessment, calling the display 'bordering on disgraceful' and questioning whether any of Chelsea's high-priced stars are giving 100 percent effort. He pointed to the embarrassing defending for Brighton's first goal as emblematic of the team's problems. The pundit suggested that manager Liam Rosenior knows his position is precarious after taking the blame in his post-match interview - a clear sign he's 'in major trouble' and trying to protect himself.

With Chelsea potentially facing a bottom-half finish and an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds this weekend, Merson believes every Leeds fan will be desperate for Rosenior to keep his job. He warned that if Chelsea produce another performance like Saturday's, they could be 'embarrassed' by Marcelo Bielsa's side. The pundit also raised questions about the futures of key players like Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer, suggesting Chelsea's current model makes it difficult to attract top managers and may lead to significant squad changes.