By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Chelsea held their nerve in a breathless seven-goal encounter to defeat Brighton 4-3 in a dramatic Premier League clash on Sunday, securing a victory that looked comfortable at one stage before turning into a tense late contest.
Chelsea raced into a commanding three-goal lead inside the opening 32 minutes, taking control through Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and João Pedro.
The hosts struck first in the fourth minute after Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was punished for a costly mistake, with Lavia taking advantage to put Chelsea ahead.
Chelsea continued to dictate proceedings and doubled their advantage in the 14th minute. Morgan Rogers’ precise cut-back found Neto in front of goal, and the Portuguese forward made no mistake from close range.
Pedro then appeared to put the contest beyond Brighton when he calmly converted from inside the box in the 32nd minute after receiving an incisive pass from Jorrel Hato.
Malick Yalcouye pulled one back three minutes later with a superb first-time finish from inside the penalty area, giving Brighton a lifeline before the interval.
Chelsea went into the break 3-1 ahead, but the second half developed into a completely different contest as Brighton increased the pressure.
An own goal involving Pedro in the 64th minute reduced Chelsea’s advantage to 3-2 and suddenly transformed what had looked like a one-sided contest into a nervous finish.
Chelsea, however, responded when Cole Palmer produced the moment of individual brilliance they needed. The England international weaved past defenders before firing a superb effort from the edge of the box into the bottom-left corner in the 75th minute to restore Chelsea’s two-goal cushion.
Pascal Groß scored deep into stoppage time, calmly beating Emiliano Martínez to make it 4-3 and set up a frantic finale.
Chelsea ultimately survived the late onslaught to claim all three points in a match that showcased both their attacking quality and their vulnerability when defending a lead.
