Graham Potter to Chelsea: 'What chance do Brighton have of competing with the country's elite when they have been gutted in the blink of an eye?'
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Just days ago, Brighton fans were giddy with excitement as their high-flying team brushed Leicester aside in a seven-goal thriller.
A lack of goals had always been an issue with the Seagulls. But now, finally, everything had clicked into place with a special, historic season potentially on the horizon.
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Hide Ad'Things will only get better' read one tweet by a jubilant fan, who would have been among many dreaming of endless possibilities for a team full of talent and confidence – led by a manager adored by supporters and respected across the country.
Oh, how we have been given a hash reminder of how quickly things can change.
The 5-2 win at the Amex proved to be Graham Potter's swansong as Brighton's boss – with the 47-year-old packing his bags for Chelsea, replacing sacked Thomas Tuchel.
If this blow wasn't crushing enough, Potter has taken his whole staffing team with him to West London.
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Hide AdBilly Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay all gone in an instant, along with all the excitement and optimism that had been built at the Amex.
Have you read?: 'He sold me' – Ex-Brighton star warns Aubameyang and Chelsea big names that Graham Potter can be ruthless
It makes you wonder where is the world of football going.
Is it becoming fixed?
Are teams like Brighton not allowed to succeed?
Looking at the table, it may appear they are mixing with the country's most elite clubs but, in reality, what chance do they have of staying in the top four when they have been gutted in the blink of an eye?
For Brighton fans, the feelings of elation and hope on Sunday have been replaced by sadness, anger and, in some cases, betrayal.
Many would not have hesitated in wishing Potter well as he takes the next, monumental, step in his promising managerial career.
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Hide AdAfter all, he led a team, which had been constantly threatened by relegation, to a club record season last term, doing so with an attractive brand of football that made the football world step up and take notice of ‘little’ old Brighton and Hove Albion.
But, in taking with him his whole team of staff that helped him do it, it feels the heart and soul has been ripped out of the club in an instant and, if social media is anything to go by, it seems Potter, and even club legend Bruno, may not get a warm reception when they return to the Amex.
It can be easy to forget in the madness of it all that this comes in a summer of unprecedented mass exoduses – which began with the loss of influential technical director Dan Ashworth to Newcastle - Brighton have so far coped superbly.
Many feared the worst when star men Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella departed, quickly followed by top scorer Neal Maupay – but the unwavering footballing philosophy and unity in the squad rendered individuality irrelevant.
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Hide AdAfter Sunday’s morale-boosting win, those that had moved on were a distant memory.
These latest departures will not be as easy to recover from – not by a long shot.