Chelsea maintained their perfect start under Xabi Alonso with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge, although the Blues were made to work considerably harder than the scoreline initially suggested, Softfootball reports.
The hosts made a sensational start, racing into a three-goal advantage inside the opening 32 minutes. Romeo Lavia opened the scoring in the fourth minute before Pedro Neto doubled Chelsea’s advantage ten minutes later.
Former Brighton forward Joao Pedro then added a third in the 32nd minute, putting Chelsea firmly in control and seemingly setting the stage for a comfortable victory.
Brighton, however, refused to collapse. Malick Yalcouye pulled one back in the 35th minute with an impressive debut goal, giving the visitors renewed belief heading into the interval.
The Seagulls continued their resurgence after the break and were rewarded in the 63rd minute when Joao Pedro inadvertently deflected Pascal Gross’ effort into his own net.
With Brighton piling on the pressure, Emiliano Martinez became increasingly important for Chelsea. The goalkeeper produced several crucial saves to prevent Fabian Hurzeler’s side from completing the comeback.
Chelsea eventually restored their two-goal cushion in the 74th minute when Cole Palmer calmly found the bottom corner. Brighton continued pushing and Gross headed home in stoppage time, but Alonso’s side held on for all three points.
Chelsea’s victory moves them to two wins from two, while Brighton can take plenty of encouragement from their second-half display.
Chelsea were also without Enzo Fernandez for a second consecutive Premier League match, while Moises Caicedo was forced off injured shortly after coming on.
Chelsea Player Ratings
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Emi Martinez | 9.0/10 |
| Wesley Fofana | 7.0/10 |
| Maxence Lacroix | 6.0/10 |
| Levi Colwill | 6.0/10 |
| Pedro Neto | 7.0/10 |
| Romeo Lavia | 9.0/10 |
| Malo Gusto | 6.0/10 |
| Jorrel Hato | 8.0/10 |
| Morgan Rogers | 8.0/10 |
| Cole Palmer | 7.0/10 |
| Joao Pedro | 8.0/10 |
| Reece James | 6.0/10 |
| Josh Acheampong | 6.0/10 |
| Pep Chavarria | 6.0/10 |
Brighton Player Ratings
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Bart Verbruggen | 5.0/10 |
| Olivier Boscagli | 5.0/10 |
| Lewis Dunk | 5.0/10 |
| Luka Vuskovic | 5.0/10 |
| Ferdi Kadioglu | 5.0/10 |
| Pascal Gross | 7.0/10 |
| Mats Wieffer | 5.0/10 |
| Maxim de Cuyper | 5.0/10 |
| Malick Yalcouye | 7.0/10 |
| Diego Gomez | 5.0/10 |
| Charalampos Kostoulas | 6.0/10 |
| Ibrahim Osman | 6.0/10 |
| Costinha | 6.0/10 |
| Promise David | 6.0/10 |
Match Statistics
| Stat | Chelsea | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 25.6% | 74.4% |
| Expected Goals | 2.97 | 1.49 |
| Shots | 17 | 15 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 6 |
| Big Chances Missed | 3 | 4 |
| Corners | 4 | 7 |
| Accurate Passes | 146 | 549 |
| Passing Accuracy | 67% | 87.4% |
| Yellow Cards | 1 | 3 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
