Chelsea made it three wins in three games under Xabi Alonso after beating Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, but the result was far more complicated than the scoreline first suggested.
Emiliano Martínez made his Chelsea debut and had a busy afternoon as Brighton found the net three times.
Chelsea needed only four minutes to take the lead. Romeo Lavia reacted quickly inside the box after Brighton failed to clear a corner and fired Chelsea ahead.
Neto made it 2-0 in the 14th minute. The winger finished Morgan Rogers’ pass as Chelsea punished Brighton again.
João Pedro added a third in the 32nd minute, scoring against the club he left for Chelsea.
At that point, Chelsea looked to be in complete control.
Brighton had other ideas. Malick Yalcouyé pulled one back three minutes later with a powerful volley, giving Martínez his first goal conceded for Chelsea.
The visitors kept pushing after the break and got another in the 62nd minute. Pascal Gross’ effort took a touch off João Pedro before beating Martínez.
Chelsea were now 3-2 up and under pressure.
Palmer came to their rescue in the 74th minute. He cut inside and found the corner to put Chelsea two goals ahead again.
Brighton still had time for one more scare. Gross headed in his second in the sixth minute of added time, but Chelsea managed to see out the remaining minutes.
Martínez therefore leaves his first Chelsea appearance with a win, although three goals conceded will not have been the way he wanted to begin life at the club.
For Alonso, the important part is that the winning run continues. But Brighton also exposed some problems Chelsea will have to sort out, especially after allowing a 3-0 lead to become a one-goal game late on.
