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Minteh, who had only scored three league goals ahead of this fixture, scored either side of half-time to lead his side back to winning ways in the top-flight.

The Seagulls went ahead in the 27th minute when Kaoru Mitoma sensationally plucked Bart Verbruggen's ball out of the sky before placing it beyond Filip Jorgensen's grasp.

Enzo Fernandez thought he had hauled Chelsea level eight minutes later, but saw his goal ruled out after he was judged to have pushed Joel Veltman before heading home.

Brighton edged further ahead seven minutes before the break when Minteh finished from close range, tucking the ball home after good work from Danny Welbeck in the box.

Minteh then sealed the win with his second of the game just after the hour, squeezing the ball in at the near post, with a potential foul on Levi Colwill in the build-up waved away.

The Seagulls, not content with their lead, almost added a fourth, with Mitoma seeing his effort saved before Veltman saw his strike pushed on to the post by Jorgensen.

Brighton moved up two places and into eighth ahead of the rest of the weekend's action. Chelsea, meanwhile, stays in the top four, but could drop out on by the end of the weekend. 

Chelsea is now winless in five away matches in the Premier League, but its inconsistent form has not just been away from Stamford Bridge.

It has picked up just nine points from its past nine top-flight games, after taking 34 from the opening 16 matches of the season at an average of 2.1 points per fixture.

And boss Enzo Maresca, who arrived from Leicester City last June, could not hide his frustration at his side's latest setback as its top-four hopes took a hit on the south coast.

"Probably since I arrived that is the worst performance, especially in the moment we are in," Maresca said.

"We are fourth in the league and by winning tonight you can go one point from third and make the gap to the rest bigger and the performance is not one you want to offer, so we are very upset and sorry for the fans that were here.

"For half an hour I think we were in control but after that moment [Kaoru Mitoma's goal] we looked like we could concede chances easily, and we struggled to create chances.

"The reason why is because of the injuries in this moment, especially with the strikers...important players are out, but we need to find a solution.

"It is difficult when you don't have a proper number nine. So you always have to find a different solution. In the last third, we struggled doing things, until a week or two ago we were doing well."

Minteh, meanwhile, said the Seagulls are dreaming of European football next season after easing to this latest win.

"I think the compactness of the team was good, and the team always communicated with me and pushed me," he said.

"I think everybody has helped me a lot. I went to Feyenoord and played one year, and now I am back in the Premier League, everything is going well."

When asked about the prospect of a second season in Europe, Minteh said: "Yes. We are dreaming [for it to happen]."