Chelsea Trail Brighton 1-0 Without Injured Palmer, Pedro

Brighton, England (AP) - Chelsea fell behind early to Brighton and Hove Albion in a crucial Premier League match on Tuesday night at the Amex Stadium, with the score at 1-0 after 38 minutes as the visitors struggled without key attackers Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.

The absences of the two forwards, both sidelined by minor injuries, compounded Chelsea's woes as they sought to halt a four-game losing streak in the league that has left them scoreless over seven hours of play. Palmer, who has netted 10 goals this season, sat out due to hamstring tightness carried from recent matches, including Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United. Manager Liam Rosenior confirmed the decision to rest him ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against Leeds United at Wembley Stadium. "Cole has had a bit of tightness in his hamstring that he's been carrying," Rosenior told Sky Sports before kickoff. "He's going to be out for this game, and we'll see how he moves on for the FA Cup semifinal."

Joao Pedro, the Brazilian striker who joined Chelsea from Brighton last summer for an initial 55 million pounds, missed the game with a thigh injury that also kept him out against United. Rosenior opted...