Chelsea Beat Brighton but Defensive Woes Remain
Chelsea defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 4-3 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday but their defensive struggles continued under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Romeo Lavia opened the scoring after four minutes before Pedro Neto doubled Chelsea’s advantage 10 minutes later.
João Pedro added a third goal in the 32nd minute as Chelsea looked set for a comfortable victory.
Brighton responded through Malick Yalcouyé before João Pedro’s own goal reduced Chelsea’s lead to 3-2 in the second half.
Cole Palmer restored Chelsea’s two-goal advantage in the 74th minute with a fine finish after cutting inside.
Pascal Gross scored in the fifth minute of added time, but Chelsea held on to secure all three points.
Despite the victory, the result highlighted Chelsea’s lack of control after they allowed Brighton to fight back from a three-goal deficit.
Alonso was visibly frustrated as his team struggled to maintain the intensity that had produced their impressive first-half display.
Chelsea have now conceded five goals in their opening two league matches, raising questions over whether the team can sustain a serious title challenge.
Emiliano Martínez, making his Chelsea debut after joining from Aston Villa for £7.5 million, produced a solid performance but could not keep a clean sheet.
There were encouraging signs in attack, particularly with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and João Pedro combining effectively, but Chelsea must improve defensively if Alonso’s side are to challenge consistently at the top.
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