Chelsea Maintain Perfect Start Under Xabi Alonso
Chelsea maintained their winning start to the Premier League season after edging Brighton & Hove Albion 4–3 in a seven-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues appeared to be cruising after taking a three-goal lead inside the opening 32 minutes, but Brighton produced a determined fightback that turned the match into a tense finish.
Chelsea broke the deadlock in the fourth minute when Roméo Lavia reacted quickest after a mix-up between Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and defender Mats Wieffer, finishing from close range to give the hosts an early advantage.
The home side doubled their lead in the 14th minute. Pedro Neto arrived at the right moment to meet Morgan Rogers’ low delivery and calmly found the back of the net.
Chelsea continued to threaten and added a third in the 32nd minute. Jorrel Hato made progress down the left before sending the ball across the box, allowing João Pedro to finish and put his former club in serious trouble.
Brighton, however, refused to give up. Malick Yalcouyé reduced the deficit in the 35th minute after reacting to a rebound and firing the ball into the net, giving the visitors renewed belief before half-time.
The comeback gathered further momentum shortly after the restart when João Pedro unfortunately turned the ball into his own net, leaving Chelsea with only a 3–2 advantage.
Brighton pushed for an equaliser, but Chelsea found an important response through Cole Palmer. The England international produced a powerful individual effort in the 75th minute to restore Chelsea’s two-goal cushion and settle some of the nerves at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors continued attacking until the final whistle and Pascal Groß headed home deep into stoppage time to make it 4–3.
Despite the late pressure, Chelsea held on to secure all three points and continue their perfect Premier League start under manager Xabi Alonso. The result means the London club have won both of their opening league matches, scoring seven goals in the process.
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