Chelsea withstand Brighton comeback to make it two Premier League wins from two

Chelsea survived a spirited Brighton fightback to beat the Seagulls 4-3 and maintain their perfect start to Xabi Alonso’s first Premier League campaign.

The home side looked in complete control after moving 3-0 ahead inside the opening 32 minutes, but Brighton recovered strongly and created several chances to level. Cole Palmer eventually eased the pressure with an excellent finish from outside the area before Pascal Groß scored a late third for the visitors.

Chelsea took the lead after only four minutes when Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen could not hold Joao Pedro’s header from a corner. Romeo Lavia reacted quickest to the loose ball and had the straightforward task of finishing into the unguarded net.

The hosts doubled their advantage 10 minutes later. Morgan Rogers got away from Luka Vuskovic on the left and sent a delivery into the area, where Pedro Neto had moved in front of Ferdi Kadıoglu to convert.

Joao Pedro, who previously played for Brighton, added Chelsea’s third in the 32nd minute. Jorrel Hato burst beyond Mats Wieffer and supplied the pass, allowing Joao Pedro to beat the offside trap before finishing.

Brighton were not prepared to let the match disappear from their grasp. Emiliano Martinez, making his Chelsea debut after completing a £7.5m move from Aston Villa, initially kept out Charalampos Kostoulas. However, Malick Yalcouye followed up to score from the rebound shortly before the interval.

The visitors continued to apply pressure after half-time and reduced the deficit further in the 63rd minute. Pascal Groß’s effort took a substantial deflection off Joao Pedro, sending Martinez the wrong way and making the score 3-2.

Brighton then pushed for an equaliser, with Diego Gomez going close and Martinez producing several important saves to protect Chelsea’s lead.

Palmer finally restored a two-goal cushion 11 minutes from time with a superb piece of individual skill. The Chelsea forward created room outside the penalty area before curling an outstanding shot into the bottom corner to put his side 4-2 ahead.

Brighton scored again in the closing stages when Groß headed home deep into stoppage time, but there was no opportunity for another comeback as Chelsea held on for victory.

The result gives Alonso successive league wins at the beginning of his first Premier League season, following Chelsea’s 3-2 victory over Fulham last weekend. Chelsea have scored seven goals across their opening two matches, although they have also conceded five, underlining the contrast between their attacking threat and the defensive problems still facing the new manager.

There was an additional concern for Chelsea when Moises Caicedo was forced to leave the field shortly after coming on for his first appearance of the season.

Chelsea were also without Enzo Fernandez, who was left out of the squad for a second consecutive league game amid reported interest from Manchester City.