Maurizio Sarri faces another angry vote of no confidence from frustrated Chelsea fans if the under-fire Italian fails to spark his spluttering side in Wednesday's clash against Brighton.
Sarri was subjected to vitriolic abuse from Chelsea supporters at Cardiff on Sunday in response to a painful performance that was just six minutes away from serving as the nadir of a miserable first season for the Blues boss.
Trailing 1-0 in the second half after being out-fought by the Premier League relegation candidates, Chelsea were on the rack and chants of "you don't know what you're doing" and "we want Sarri out" echoed out from the away end.
Chelsea's under-performing stars eventually raised themselves for just long enough to give Sarri a modicum of breathing space with two late goals to steal a sorely-needed 2-1 win.
That may have kept alive their hopes of a top four finish, but it did little to quell the feeling that Sarri is on borrowed time at Stamford Bridge.
Since an impressive 2-0 win over Tottenham raised hopes that Sarri could avoid the sack, his troubled team have reverted to lacklustre type.
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Reflecting the pattern of a hugely frustrating season, Chelsea are once again churning out turgid performances that feature large spells where they dominate possession without showing any cutting edge.
In the league games since they beat Tottenham, Sarri's side needed an inspired display from goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to narrowly beat lowly Fulham, while it took a last-minute equaliser from Eden Hazard to rescue a home draw against Wolves.
A woeful 2-0 loss at Everton was following by an even more limp effort at Cardiff, which looked certain to end in an embarrassing defeat before Cesar Azpilicueta's clearly offside equaliser triggered their late fightback.
A repeat of that woeful display against struggling Brighton is certain to bring more opprobrium for Sarri, who has already suffered several nights on the boos at the Bridge this season.
- Self-inflicted wounds -
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