Palmer and Pedro Star in Thrilling 4-3 Victory for Chelsea Over Brighton

Chelsea secured a thrilling 4-3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, maintaining Xabi Alonso’s perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign. The high-scoring clash also featured the Blues debut of newly signed goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

Chelsea took command early, opening the scoring in the 4th minute through Roméo Lavia before Pedro Neto quickly doubled the advantage. Forward João Pedro then extended the lead to 3-0 in the 32nd minute, seemingly putting the hosts out of reach. However, Brighton struck back through Malick Yalcouyé to make it 3-1 before halftime.

The visitors clawed their way closer in the 63rd minute when Chelsea's João Pedro inadvertently scored an own goal. With tension mounting, Cole Palmer restored breathing room for the Blues in the 74th minute, unleashing a spectacular 20-yard strike into the net. Pascal Groß headed home a consolation goal for Brighton deep into stoppage time, but Chelsea held on for the narrow win.

With two wins from their opening two matches, Alonso’s revitalized squad moves to six points, reinforcing their top-four ambitions early in the season.