Chelsea secured a 4-3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on August 30, 2026, extending their perfect start under new manager Xabi Alonso [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Goals for Chelsea came from Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto, João Pedro, and Cole Palmer, while Brighton’s scoring included strikes from Malick Yalcouye, Pascal Gross, and an own goal by João Pedro [1, 2, 4, 5].
The win marks Chelsea’s second Premier League victory in as many games under Alonso, with the team scoring seven goals and conceding five across those matches [1, 2]. The defense remained a concern, with five goals allowed in two games, including those gifted to Brighton in this latest outing [3, 4, 5, 6]. Alonso praised João Pedro despite his own goal, stating, "Joao Pedro's desire was fantastic and key to winning the match" [7, 3].
Emiliano Martínez made his Chelsea debut in goal after transferring from Aston Villa for £7.5 million, replacing Robert Sánchez who was dropped following poor performances and left out of the squad for this match [3, 4, 8, 5, 6].
Midfielder Enzo Fernández was absent from the squad amid ongoing transfer speculation linking him to Manchester City [4, 5].
Chelsea will play their next Premier League match away at Arsenal on September 6, 2026 [4].
