Image: from Chelsea FC X @ChelseaFC
By Open Chronicle Sports
Premier League 2026/27 | Matchweek 2
Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season after emerging from a remarkable seven goal contest against Brighton & Hove Albion, winning 4–3 in a breathless afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer struck the decisive goal in the 75th minute after a match that swung repeatedly between control and chaos, with Chelsea racing into an early advantage before Brighton twice threatened to transform the contest.
Roméo Lavia, Pedro Neto and João Pedro were also on target for Chelsea, while Malick Yalcouyé and Pascal Groß scored for Brighton. An own goal from João Pedro completed Brighton’s tally and ensured the hosts were never allowed to relax.
The result gives Chelsea six points from their opening two Premier League matches and provides another indication of the attacking threat available to the London club this season.
Chelsea make a blistering start
Brighton had barely been given time to settle before Chelsea were ahead.
Lavia opened the scoring after only five minutes, giving the hosts precisely the start they wanted and immediately forcing Brighton to reconsider their approach.
Chelsea did not retreat after taking the lead.
Nine minutes later, Neto made it 2–0.
The Portuguese forward’s goal appeared to place Chelsea firmly in control, with the home side playing at a tempo Brighton were struggling to contain.
There was movement across the Chelsea attack, runners arriving from midfield and enough aggression in possession to prevent Brighton from establishing their usual passing rhythm.
At that stage, the possibility of a comfortable afternoon for Chelsea seemed entirely realistic.
João Pedro then made it 3–0 in the 34th minute.
Three goals inside the opening 34 minutes had Stamford Bridge expecting a rout.
Brighton, however, refused to disappear.
Yalcouyé gives Brighton hope
Malick Yalcouyé pulled one back in the 39th minute, changing the mood of the contest shortly before half time.
It was an important response.
Instead of returning to the dressing room three goals behind, Brighton suddenly had something to pursue.
Chelsea had produced the better football and the greater attacking threat, but the goal exposed the danger of allowing Brighton to remain involved.
At 3–1, the match was not finished.
That became increasingly obvious after the interval.
An own goal changes everything
Brighton’s second arrived in unusual circumstances in the 62nd minute when João Pedro, having scored at the other end during the first half, put the ball into his own net.
Chelsea’s apparently commanding advantage had been reduced to a single goal.
From 3–0 to 3–2, the entire complexion of the afternoon had changed.
Brighton sensed an opportunity. Chelsea suddenly had to manage a match they had appeared to have settled before half time.
The visitors pushed higher and the contest became increasingly stretched, producing the sort of frantic Premier League encounter in which tactical structures begin to give way to individual moments.
Chelsea needed someone to restore order.
Palmer provided it.
Palmer delivers when Chelsea need him
The decisive moment arrived in the 75th minute.
Cole Palmer scored Chelsea’s fourth and restored the two goal cushion at precisely the moment Brighton were threatening to complete an extraordinary comeback.
It was another important intervention from a player who has increasingly become associated with decisive moments for Chelsea.
At 4–2, the hosts finally appeared to have created sufficient breathing space.
Appearances, on this afternoon, were deceptive.
Brighton continued attacking and were rewarded deep into stoppage time when Groß scored in the 96th minute.
Suddenly it was 4–3.
There was time for one final surge of Brighton pressure, with Stamford Bridge enduring a nervous conclusion to a match that Chelsea had once led by three goals.
The equaliser never arrived.
The final whistle brought relief as much as celebration.
Seven goals and plenty for both managers to consider
Chelsea will take the points and considerable encouragement from their attacking performance.
Four goals against Brighton, with four different Chelsea scorers, underline the range of offensive options available to the side.
The opening half hour was particularly impressive. Chelsea attacked with speed, committed numbers forward and repeatedly found spaces before Brighton could reorganise.
There will nevertheless be concerns about what happened afterwards.
A team leading 3–0 at home would normally expect to remove uncertainty from the contest. Chelsea instead allowed Brighton back into the match and eventually required Palmer’s fourth goal to protect the victory.
Brighton can draw encouragement from their response.
Three goals conceded inside 34 minutes could have produced a heavy defeat. Instead, they fought their way back into the contest and were still chasing an equaliser during the final moments.
That resilience will matter, even if it ultimately produced no points.
Chelsea’s perfect start continues
For Chelsea, the most important statistic remains the result.
Two Premier League matches. Two victories. Six points.
After opening the campaign with a 3–2 victory away to Fulham, Chelsea have now scored seven goals in their first two league matches.
There is attacking ambition and considerable firepower in this side.
There is also, judging by this extraordinary afternoon, work still to be done when it comes to controlling matches once an advantage has been established.
Chelsea won because they were devastating early and because Palmer delivered when the game threatened to escape them.
Brighton lost, but their refusal to accept defeat turned what had looked like a routine Chelsea victory into one of the first great thrillers of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Full Time: Chelsea 4–3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Goals: Lavia 5′, Neto 14′, João Pedro 34′, Palmer 75′ | Yalcouyé 39′, João Pedro 62′ og, Groß 90+6′