Chelsea's brilliant start to the Premier League season continued with a breathtaking 4-3 victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge — a match that had absolutely everything.
It was Xabi Alonso's first home league fixture as Blues boss, and his side gave him a dream opening. Romeo Lavia, scoring his maiden Chelsea goal, tapped in after just four minutes following a gift from the visitors.
Bart Verbruggen spilled the ball after Mats Wieffer had done well to clear Joao Pedro's header off the line from a corner, and Lavia was there to pounce on the loose ball. What a way to get off the mark.
Things got even better for Chelsea ten minutes later when Morgan Rogers outmuscled Brighton's record buy Luka Vuskovic down the left flank and whipped in a cross. Pedro Neto nipped ahead of Ferdi Kadioglu to prod the ball home and make it 2-0.
The hosts were rampant. On 32 minutes, left wing-back Jorrel Hato burned past Wieffer with sheer pace before picking out Joao Pedro, who showed no mercy against his old club by firing in a third.
At 3-0, it looked all over — but Brighton had other ideas. Debutant goalkeeper Emi Martinez rushed out to block Charalampos Kostoulas, only for Malick Yalcouye to smash the rebound home on the volley before half-time.
Brighton came out firing after the break and pulled another one back on 63 minutes. Yalcouye fed Pascal Gross, whose effort cannoned off Joao Pedro and wrong-footed Martinez to make it 3-2. Suddenly, the Seagulls sensed a remarkable comeback was on.
Enter Cole Palmer. Just when Chelsea needed him most, the England star produced a moment of magic in the 74th minute, bending a stunning strike from outside the area past Verbruggen and into the net. It was an absolute beauty — the kind of goal that settles nerves and swings momentum back in an instant. Chelsea breathed again at 4-2.
Brighton weren't done yet, though. Pascal Gross rose to head past Martinez from what was practically the last kick of the match, making it 4-3 and giving the scoreline a nervy complexion.
For a brief moment, Stamford Bridge held its breath. Could Fabian Hurzeler's side somehow nick an equaliser? Turns out, there simply wasn't enough time left on the clock for the Seagulls to complete what would have been one of the most extraordinary comebacks in recent memory.
Chelsea held firm to secure all three points and keep their 100 per cent record intact under Alonso. It was dramatic, it was chaotic, and the home fans loved every second of it.
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