Free scoring Chelsea extended Xabi Alonso's unbeaten start as manager with a thrilling 4-3 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, taking his record to two Premier League wins and one League Cup victory since taking charge.
Chelsea made a rapid start, needing just minutes to break the deadlock when Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and defender Mats Wieffer combined to make a mess of clearing a corner, leaving Romeo Lavia to poke home from close range for his first goal since joining from Southampton in 2023.
Alonso's decision to select Pedro Neto ahead of Reece James paid off in the 14th minute, with Morgan Rogers surging past Luka Vuskovic before cutting the ball back for Neto to guide home a deft finish, his first league goal since December.
Emiliano Martinez, making his Chelsea debut just hours after completing a £7.5 million move from Aston Villa, produced his first save of the afternoon to deny Malick Yalcouye, before Joao Pedro extended the lead against his former club in the 32nd minute, finishing from six yards after being picked out by Jorrel Hato.
Chelsea's hopes of a first league clean sheet since January were undone soon after, as Yalcouye's fierce volley rifled in off the post following an initial Martinez save, before Brighton pulled level further through Pascal Gross, whose deflected effort off Pedro looped over a wrong footed Martinez in the 63rd minute.
Cole Palmer restored Chelsea's composure with a well taken finish from the edge of the area in the 74th minute, and though Gross found a stoppage time header to complete his brace, it proved too little to deny the hosts a seventh goal fuelled victory.
The result leaves Chelsea with two wins from two matches, having scored seven goals and conceded five across those games, as Alonso's attacking approach continues to entertain even with defensive questions lingering following a dismal 10th placed finish last season.
Enzo Fernandez missed out for a second successive match amid speculation linking the Argentine with a move to Manchester City, with the transfer window closing on Tuesday leaving his immediate Chelsea future uncertain ahead of a tougher test against champions Arsenal on September 6.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Brentford came close to matching Chelsea's tally after Kevin Schade's fine finish put them ahead at Leeds United, only for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to level in the second half. Sunderland claimed their first points of the season with a 1-0 win over Fulham thanks to Wilson Isidor, while Manchester United were still searching for their opening points heading into Sunday's fixture at home to Ipswich Town.