Chelsea maintained their perfect start under Xabi Alonso with a 4-3 win over Brighton in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and an own goal from Joao Pedro gave the Blues a three-goal lead just after the half-hour mark.
Brighton responded quickly through Malick Yalcouye to cut the deficit before Joao Pedro deflected the ball into his own net after the break, giving Fabian Hurzeler's side hope of a comeback.
Palmer's decisive strike
A superb finish from Cole Palmer, his second in as many league games, helped Chelsea restore a two-goal lead and see off any comeback from Brighton. The visitors scored a late consolation goal in added time through Pascal Gross.
Palmer's goal came in the 74th minute when Joao Pedro laid the ball off to him, allowing the midfielder to drive forward before curling a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Brighton's late push
Brighton continued to push in the closing stages, but a late comeback looked unlikely. Pascal Gross scored a superb header in the 90+6th minute, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
The result leaves Chelsea with a perfect record under Alonso, while Brighton were left to rue their defensive errors in a frenetic 90 minutes of football.
