Chelsea edge Brighton 4-3 to maintain perfect start under Alonso
LONDON - Chelsea maintained their perfect start under new manager Xabi Alonso with an entertaining 4-3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge, surviving a spirited second-half fightback from the visitors.
Chelsea raced into a commanding three-goal lead inside the opening 32 minutes, with Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro finding the net to put the hosts firmly in control. Lavia opened the scoring after Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and defender Mats Wieffer were caught in a defensive mix-up, allowing the Chelsea midfielder to poke the ball home.
Chelsea doubled their advantage when Morgan Rogers beat Luka Vuskovic and set up Neto, who finished from close range. Joao Pedro then struck against his former club to make it 3-0 and leave Brighton facing a daunting task. However, Brighton responded quickly. Malick Yalcouye reduced the deficit in the 35th minute, volleying home after Chelsea failed to clear their lines.
The visitors continued to threaten after the break and were rewarded when Pascal Gross’s effort took a significant deflection off Joao Pedro and found the net, making it 3-2. With Chelsea’s defence again under pressure, Cole Palmer restored the hosts’ two-goal cushion with a composed finish, easing the nerves at Stamford Bridge. Brighton refused to surrender and Gross headed in a third goal deep into stoppage time, setting up a tense finish. Chelsea nevertheless held on to secure their second consecutive league victory.
New goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made his Chelsea debut after completing his move from Aston Villa and replaced Robert Sanchez in the starting line-up. The result leaves Chelsea with six points from their opening two matches, having scored seven goals while conceding five. Their attacking quality has offered encouragement under Alonso, although defensive frailties remain a concern. Chelsea will face a significant early test next weekend when they travel to Arsenal. Elsewhere, Brentford were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United despite Kevin Schade giving the visitors the lead, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised for Leeds. Sunderland claimed their first points with a 1-0 home victory over Fulham, with Wilson Isidor scoring the decisive goal.
RESULTS
Man United 5-2 Ipswich Town
Chelsea 4-3 Brighton
Sunderland 1-0 Fulham
Leeds 1-1 Brentford