Why do Fabian Huerzeler's Brighton play such a high defensive line?

What is there to be gained and is it too much of a risk?

Those were the pressing questions in the minds of plenty of fans after their team achieved an unwanted bit of symmetry on Saturday.

Almost two years ago, Roberto De Zerbi enjoyed his first win as Albion head coach thanks to four goals against Chelsea in his sixth game in charge.

Here, Fabian Huerzeler’s first defeat in the Premier League came, in his sixth game, against the West London club, who scored four themselves.

Cole Palmer’s first-half quartet comprised two chances gifted by poor Albion passes, a sumptuous free-kick (albeit taken from further forward that it should have been) and a generously awarded penalty.

But Chelsea, surprised by Georginio Rutter’s brave early header and inconvenienced by some Carlos Baleba opportunism to make it 3-2, could easily have doubled their tally.

Time and again they got in and behind the advanced Albion defence, even in a scoreless second half.

It was excruciating to watch from an Albion perspective and something many would have feared from last weekend, having witnessed what happened both in the draw with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea’s win at West Ham.

Huerzeler had spoken of possibly combining high line and low block at Stamford Bridge.

But there was far more of the former than the latter and Chelsea regularly found a way through.

A few questions were asked of Huerzeler when he came to the media room after the game, and the high line was mentioned But there was something I decided to ask the head coach.

I knew from a quick check of fans’ comments that many had the same question.

So it was asked out of genuine curiosity, not as some kind of implied criticism.

What are the reward of this high line - and why take what looks a big risk?

Huerzeler replied: “The compactness. Ball-wins higher on the pitch.

“Of course, if the high line doesn’t work, it looks a little bit like today.

“I never say that it is taking a risk but it looks a little bit like taking a risk.

“For me again, it is no risk. We will analyse it.

“We will sit down, we have to talk and, if necessary, we will adapt.”

Huerzeler said none of the goals were down to the high line and, in terms of direct responsibility, he was right.

The closest to that was the free-kick for Chelsea's third goal, when they got behind Pervis Estupinan.

The first, second and fourth were all conceded when Albion were well set, either in or out of possession.

But, even taking that into account, the Seagulls lived too dangerously too often.

Huerzeler spoke of asking the players whether they felt confident executing his game plan.

They had a decent defensive record going into this, and certainly after four games, but they had ridden their luck a little at times.

My own suspicion is that Huerzeler and his staff will change things.

But they will be minor, technical tweaks which those of us on the outside barely notice.

Huerzeler has been given the Albion job because he has strong football principles and clear ideas, allied to a conviction in what he is doing and a determination to make it work.

But one imagines he also has the job because he is clever and able to, as he says, adapt.

Whatever the plan ends up being, Albion must execute it better than they did here.

They were worthy of the lead given them when Rutter headed home the looping ball after Baleba blocked Levi Colwill’s clearance and Robert Sanchez tried to punch clear.

But Adam Webster, in for the injured Jan Paul van Hecke, gifted Chelsea a route to set up Palmer’s equaliser with a woeful back pass.

It was easy to see that as the game’s turning point but was it really?

Even if Webster had performed that pass successfully, Albion would have presumably kept playing the way they did and Chelsea would have kept finding a way through. As they had even at 1-0 when Palmer hit the post.

Baleba’s minor contact with Jadon Sancho led to a penalty which Palmer converted (by that yardstick, Kaoru Mitoma should have had a penalty in the second half).

An increasingly precarious Albion fell off the high wire again when Mats Wieffer, who looked good at times and off the pace at others, lost possession, Pervis Estupinan was fortunate to escape a red card for his foul and Palmer stuck a majestic free-kick.

It was back to 3-2 as Baleba punished a poor pass by Sanchez, who later saved well from both the same player and Danny Welbeck either side of Verbruggen giving the ball away and Palmer drilling home his fourth.

A brilliant clearance by Webster and wasteful play by Nicolas Jackson helped ensure there were no further goals. Igor’s performance off the bench was among the pluses for an Albion team who played attractive football but who were too easy to beat.

Chelsea: Sanchez; Cucurella (Veiga 70), Colwill, Fofana, Gusto; Fernandez (Lavia 79), Caicedo; Sancho (Mudryk 71), Palmer, Madueke (Neto); Jackson (Nkunku 79). Subs not used: Jorgensen; Disasi, Adarabioyo, Felix Goals: Palmer 21, pen 28, 31, 41.

Yellow card: Fofana, Cucurella, Fernandez Albion: Verbruggen; Kadioglu (Minteh 71), Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Wieffer (Ayari 57), Hinshelwood; Rutter (Enciso 71), Welbeck (Ferguson 81), Mitoma. Subs not used: Steele; Lamptey, Moder, Samuels.

Goals: Rutter 7, Baleba 34.

Yellow card: Estupinan, Dunk.