Chelsea's terrible start to life under Frank Lampard continued on Saturday as high-flying Brighton claimed all three points at Stamford Bridge to consign the Blues to a third straight defeat under their interim manager.

Despite taking the lead in fortunate circumstances thanks to Conor Gallagher's deflected strike, Lampard's side would leave empty-handed after Danny Welbeck's header and Julian Encisco's wonder strike.

While there were a number of poor performances once again, Christian Pulisic deserves criticism after the USA international failed to justify his starting spot, in what was an incredibly anonymous display.

How did Christian Pulisic play against Brighton?

As per Sofascore, the former Borussia Dortmund man would earn a disappointing 6.6/10 rating for his performance in the 2-1 defeat, which was the joint-worst of any attacking player to start the game at Stamford Bridge.

During his 56 minutes on the pitch, the 24-year-old would manage just 18 touches of the ball, while Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga would manage 81, which emphasises just how little he was involved against Brighton.

Pulisic would also complete just six passes, failed to register a shot on target and completed no crosses, key passes or dribbles, in what was a truly forgettable performance from the £150k-per-week winger.

Although it was only the American's eighth start of a disappointing Premier League season, he has at least averaged 0.6 key passes, 0.6 dribbles and 12.7 passes per game on average, which again emphasises just how little he was able to contribute against Brighton.

Lampard is clearly keen to give Chelsea's fringe players the opportunity to impress but it was a surprise to see Pulisic given the nod considering his lack of minutes since the World Cup, and it would be a surprise to see him start again after a woeful display against Roberto De Zerbi's side on Saturday.

The former Everton boss inexplicably left the likes of Joao Felix, Reece James and Mason Mount on the bench, while Kai Havertz wasn't even in the squad, so to promote Pulisic given he has one goal and one assist in 21 Premier League appearances so far this campaign was a truly baffling decision.

The young winger has certainly failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge and is now ranked as the 27th-best performer in Chelsea's squad according to WhoScored, after another underwhelming display against Brighton.

If he wants to have a future with the Blues under the new manager next season, then he simply has to start showing more when given opportunities to start.