Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, holding off a fightback after racing into a 3-0 lead inside 31 minutes. Cole Palmer's curling finish in the 73rd minute restored a two-goal cushion after a João Pedro own goal had cut the deficit to one, and Pascal Groß's header in the 95th minute came too late to matter.
It was Xabi Alonso's first home league game in charge of Chelsea and a second win from two, following the 3-2 victory at Fulham. Emiliano Martínez, who arrived from Aston Villa for £7.5m, started in goal on his debut and made four saves, though he still conceded three.
Lavia and Neto Open Up Brighton
Chelsea were ahead in the third minute. João Pedro's header from a corner was stopped on the line by Mats Wieffer, who was then prevented from clearing when goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made a clumsy swipe at the ball, and Roméo Lavia tapped in from close range. It was Lavia's first goal in a Chelsea shirt.