Free-scoring Chelsea have extended Xabi Alonso’s perfect start as manager with an eye-catching 4-3 win against Brighton. Alonso has presided over two successive wins in the Premier League and one in the League Cup since taking charge of the Blues. Romeo Lavia opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with his first Chelsea goal since signing from Southampton in 2023.
Pedro Neto doubled the Blues’ lead, and Joao Pedro added the third before Brighton’s Malick Yalcouye got one back late in a frenzied first half. Pedro’s own goal after the interval gave Chelsea a few anxious moments before Cole Palmer struck in the closing stages. Pascal Gross netted in stoppage-time, but it was too late to derail Chelsea.
Next up for Alonso’s team is a trip to face Premier League champions Arsenal on September 6. Having dispatched Fulham, Luton and Brighton, it will be the first major test for the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss as he tries to revitalise a club that finished a dismal 10th last season. Alonso has already breathed new life into Chelsea’s attack with nine goals in their first three games, but questions remain about a creaky defence, which has been breached four times.
With the transfer window closing on Tuesday, it remains to be seen if Enzo Fernandez will be an option for Alonso when Chelsea meet Arsenal. Fernandez was absent for a second successive game after the Argentina midfielder was linked with a move to Manchester City. Emiliano Martinez made his Chelsea debut after completing his 7.5-million-pound ($10m) move from Villa just hours earlier.
The 33-year-old goalkeeper was signed to replace the error-prone Robert Sanchez after his latest dismal display in Monday’s 3-2 win at Fulham. Underlining Chelsea’s recent obsession with signing youngsters, Martinez was the first player 30 or over to feature for them in a league game since 2024. Chelsea took just 31 seconds to score against Fulham as they made another quick-fire start to move in front against Brighton.
Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and defender Mats Wieffer made a complete hash of clearing a fourth-minute corner off the line, and the ball fell nicely for Lavia to poke home from close range. Alonso had selected Neto instead of Reece James, and the Portugal winger repaid that faith in the 14th minute. Morgan Rogers burst past Luka Vuskovic into the Brighton penalty area and cut his pass back for Neto to guide a deft finish past Verbruggen from close range for his first league goal since December.
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