Chelsea win despite second-half Brighton fightback
Joao Pedro scored at both ends against his former club as Chelsea made it two Premier League wins out of two under new boss Xabi Alonso.
The Blues were three up after 32 minutes, with Romeo Lavia and Pedro Neto netting before Joao Pedro struck.
Brighton responded with Malick Yalcouye’s goal and were given real hope by Joao Pedro’s second-half mishap, but Cole Palmer’s cracking strike made the points safe before Pascal Gross scored a consolation for the visitors in the final seconds.
Alonso’s side went ahead after just four minutes courtesy of shambolic Albion defending.
Joao Pedro’s header from Neto’s right-wing corner was blocked on the line by Mats Wieffer, but he got in Bart Verbruggen’s way as his keeper fumbled the loose ball, and Lavia was on hand to poke home from close range.
Neto doubled the lead by applying the finish after Morgan Rogers had darted into the box and pulled the ball back.
Jorrel Hato set up the third goal, exchanging passes with Malo Gusto in his own half and sprinting down the left before finding Joao Pedro, who found the bottom corner.
Keeper Emiliano Martinez made his debut following his move from Aston Villa.
He was unable to keep Chelsea’s first league clean sheet since January – Yalcouye pulled one back for Albion shortly after Joao Pedro’s goal.
When Charalampos Kostoulas held off Maxence Lacroix and fired against the bar, Yalcouye blasted the loose ball into the top corner.
The hosts came under pressure after the interval and Diego Gomez missed a great chance for Brighton when headed over, and soon afterwards he was denied by a fine Martinez save.
At the other end, Cole Palmer missed a sitter, somehow lifting the ball over the bar from point-blank range.
And after Joao Pedro diverted the ball into his own net when trying to block Gross 63rd-minute cross, the Stamford Bridge crowd feared the worst.
But a triple substitution by Alonso, who sent on Reece James and Moises Caicedo along with Acheampong, steadied the ship.
And Palmer emphatically atoned for his earlier miss, finding the net from near the edge of the penalty area.
On a less positive note for Chelsea, Caicedo then went off after picking up another injury, and their defending a game management remains poor at times, as seen when Gross headed in right at the end.
Chelsea: Martinez, Fofana (Acheampong 68), Lacroix, Colwill (Chavarria 72), Neto, Lavia (James 68), Gusto, Hato, Rogers (Caicedo 68 (Barco 82)), Palmer, Joao Pedro.
Subs not used: Penders, Gittens, Welbeck, Estevao.
