Palmer Stunner Helps Chelsea Edge Brighton in Seven-Goal Thriller

Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer scored for Chelsea, while Malick Junior Yalcouye, a Joao Pedro own goal and Pascal Gross accounted for Brighton's three goals.

Chelsea required only four minutes to take the lead.

A mix-up between Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and Mats Wieffer left the ball loose inside the area after Joao Pedro had flicked on a corner. Lavia reacted quickest and poked home from close range for his first Chelsea goal.

The hosts doubled their advantage just 10 minutes later.

Morgan Rogers escaped his markers before driving a low delivery across the six-yard area, where Neto arrived to turn the ball beyond Verbruggen and make it 2-0.

It continued Rogers' productive start following his goal against Fulham in Chelsea's opening league match.

Chelsea's direct attacking approach continued to punish a Brighton side that enjoyed significantly more possession.

Joao Pedro should have scored midway through the half after Neto created an excellent opening, but the former Brighton striker made amends in the 32nd minute.

Jorrel Hato accelerated away during a quick Chelsea counter-attack before finding Joao Pedro, who controlled the pass and finished confidently past Verbruggen for the third goal.

Brighton refused to allow the contest to get away from them.

Three minutes later, Yalcouye scored on his first Premier League start. Emiliano Martinez initially rushed from his goal to deny Charalampos Kostoulas, but the rebound fell kindly for Yalcouye, who fired in off the post to reduce the deficit to 3-1.

Brighton continued pushing after the restart and gave Chelsea another warning when Diego Gomez headed wide from a dangerous position.

The visitors eventually made it 3-2 in the 63rd minute.

Gross remained onside after a corner had initially been cleared and sent another ball into the area. Joao Pedro attempted to block the cross but instead diverted it beyond Martinez and into his own net.

Brighton's momentum suddenly left Chelsea under significant pressure, forcing Alonso into a series of substitutions.

Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Josh Acheampong were introduced as the Blues attempted to regain control.

Chelsea then found the crucial fourth goal in the 74th minute through Palmer.

Joao Pedro supplied the pass and Palmer produced a superb individual effort, gliding away from Brighton's defenders before driving a powerful left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

The goal restored Chelsea's two-goal cushion and ultimately proved to be the winner.

There was concern for the hosts later when Caicedo, who had only been introduced shortly beforehand, went down and was unable to continue. The midfielder appeared emotional as he left the pitch and was replaced by Valentin Barco.

Brighton nevertheless continued attacking until the final moments and found another goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Chelsea failed to properly clear a set-piece and Gross produced an excellent header from inside the area to beat Martinez and make it 4-3.

There was no time for another Brighton comeback, however, and Chelsea held on to claim all three points.

The result gives Chelsea two wins from their opening two Premier League matches under Alonso after their 3-2 victory over Fulham.

It also means the Spaniard's Chelsea have scored seven goals across his first two league games in charge.

Brighton, meanwhile, became the first team in 50 years to score at least three goals in four consecutive league matches against Chelsea, but their attacking efforts were not enough to earn a point.

Chelsea now face a significantly tougher examination when they travel to the Emirates Stadium to meet reigning Premier League champions Arsenal.

Brighton will attempt to recover when they host Leeds United at the Amex Stadium.