EPL: Chelsea Beat Brighton 4-3 To Extend Alonso’s Perfect Start

Chelsea maintained their perfect Premier League start under Xabi Alonso with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Blues made a flying start, racing into a three-goal lead before Brighton mounted a determined fightback that turned the encounter into a seven-goal thriller.

Romeo Lavia opened the scoring in the fourth minute, registering his first Chelsea goal since joining the club from Southampton in 2023.

Pedro Neto doubled Chelsea’s advantage in the 14th minute before former Brighton forward João Pedro added a third goal in the 32nd minute.

Brighton responded quickly, with Malick Yalcouyé reducing the deficit in the 35th minute to give the visitors hope before the interval.

Chelsea continued to create opportunities after the restart but Brighton gradually increased the pressure on Alonso’s side.

The visitors were rewarded in the 63rd minute when João Pedro inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, bringing Brighton within one goal of Chelsea.

With the home side under increasing pressure, Cole Palmer restored Chelsea’s two-goal advantage in the 74th minute with a composed finish from the edge of the area.

Brighton refused to surrender and Pascal Gross scored deep into stoppage time, setting up a tense conclusion at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea ultimately held on to secure all three points and make it two Premier League victories from two matches under Alonso.

The result also continued an impressive opening spell for the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager, who has now overseen three consecutive victories since taking charge of Chelsea.

However, the performance also exposed defensive weaknesses. Chelsea conceded three goals despite establishing a commanding advantage early in the match.

New goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made his Chelsea debut after completing his move from Aston Villa. Although he conceded three times, the Argentina international produced several important saves during the contest.

The victory leaves Chelsea among the early leaders of the Premier League and provides further encouragement for Alonso as he attempts to rebuild the team.

Chelsea will face a significantly tougher test in their next league fixture when they travel to meet defending champions Arsenal on September 6.

Alonso will hope his side can maintain its attacking efficiency while improving defensively after another high-scoring encounter.

For Brighton, the defeat was disappointing after their impressive second-half comeback, but their response demonstrated their ability to challenge Chelsea despite falling three goals behind.

Chelsea’s perfect start has generated early optimism around Stamford Bridge, although Alonso still has defensive issues to address.