Chelsea Beat Brighton 4-3 as Xabi Alonso Faces Defensive Concerns

Chelsea preserved their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 4-3 win over Brighton, but the result left manager Xabi Alonso with a defensive problem to solve.

Chelsea moved 3-0 ahead within 32 minutes. Romeo Lavia opened the scoring after a handling mistake by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, Pedro Neto added a second, and Joao Pedro finished another move involving Morgan Rogers and Jorrel Hato.

Brighton pulled one back before halftime through Malick Yalcouye after Emiliano Martinez blocked an effort from Charalampos Kostoulas. After the break, Joao Pedro turned a Pascal Gross cross into his own net, cutting Chelsea’s advantage to one goal.

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I am happy with his first impact. He has been in the building for 48 hours so now we will have the whole week to prepare for the next one.

Cole Palmer restored Chelsea’s two-goal lead with a curling finish 16 minutes from time. Gross scored again deep in stoppage time, but Chelsea held on for their second straight league victory.

Martinez made his debut only hours after Chelsea confirmed his £7.5 million move from Aston Villa. Alonso said, “I am happy with his first impact. He has been in the building for 48 hours so now we will have the whole week to prepare for the next one.”

The goalkeeper was not directly responsible for Brighton’s goals, but Chelsea have conceded five times in their opening two league matches and have gone 18 games without a clean sheet. Martinez said, “The front three is amazing. When we go forward, we can hurt teams. At the back, we need to bring the goals down.” His arrival has also left Robert Sanchez out of the squad and reportedly available for transfer.

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The front three is amazing. When we go forward, we can hurt teams. At the back, we need to bring the goals down.