Chelsea held their nerve in a dramatic seven-goal Premier League thriller at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 4–3 to maintain their winning start under new manager Xabi Alonso.
The Blues appeared to be heading for a comfortable afternoon after racing into a three-goal lead inside the opening 32 minutes. However, Brighton mounted a determined second-half fightback that turned the contest into a tense battle until the final whistle.
Chelsea opened the scoring after just four minutes when Romeo Lavia reacted quickest following a defensive mix-up between Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and Mats Wieffer. Lavia's close-range finish gave the hosts an early advantage and marked his first goal for Chelsea.
The home side doubled their lead in the 14th minute. Morgan Rogers created space before delivering the ball into the penalty area, where Pedro Neto produced a composed finish to make it 2–0.
Brighton struggled to contain Chelsea's movement, and João Pedro added a third in the 32nd minute. Jorrel Hato played a key role in the buildup before João Pedro finished from inside the box, giving Chelsea a seemingly commanding advantage.
Brighton, however, refused to collapse. Malick Yalcouyé reduced the deficit three minutes later with a powerful volley that went in off the post. The goal gave the visitors renewed belief heading into the second half.
Chelsea's control began to fade after the restart as Brighton found more space and increased the pressure. The visitors were rewarded again in the 62nd minute when João Pedro inadvertently deflected Pascal Groß's effort into his own net, reducing Chelsea's lead to 3–2.
With momentum shifting heavily toward Brighton, Chelsea needed a response. That response came from Cole Palmer in the 74th minute. The England international collected the ball outside the penalty area before curling a superb 20-yard effort beyond Verbruggen, restoring Chelsea's two-goal cushion.
Brighton continued pushing forward and created further opportunities, forcing Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez into important saves on his debut. Despite Chelsea's attacking quality, their defensive vulnerability remained evident, with Brighton eventually scoring again deep into stoppage time.
Pascal Groß headed home in the final action of the match to make it 4–3, setting up a nervous finish for the Stamford Bridge crowd. There was no time left, however, for Brighton to find an equaliser, and Chelsea held on for all three points.
The victory gives Alonso two Premier League wins from two matches, following Chelsea's 3–2 victory over Fulham in the opening fixture. The club has also made a winning start in the League Cup, making the early weeks of Alonso's tenure particularly encouraging.
Yet the result also highlighted an area Chelsea will need to address. Their attacking play has been energetic and productive, but conceding three goals after establishing a 3–0 lead will concern Alonso. Chelsea have now gone 18 Premier League matches without keeping a clean sheet, underlining the need for greater defensive consistency.
For Brighton, the defeat was painful given the character shown after falling three goals behind. The visitors demonstrated enough attacking threat to make Chelsea uncomfortable and nearly completed one of the comeback stories of the weekend.
For Chelsea, though, the most important outcome was the victory. Alonso's side showed attacking confidence, survived a serious test of their defensive resilience and collected another three points. Their next major challenge will provide an even stronger measure of their progress as they prepare to face Arsenal.