“‘Oh Xabi Alonso’ is echoing around the ground,” Nick Wright said for caughtoffside.com as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge. The hosts led 4-3 before Brighton fought back to make it 3-2, and then conceded again in stoppage time when Pascal Gross made it 4-3.

Chelsea's fast start and late wobble

Alonso's team have not been dull. Chelsea have scored seven goals across their opening two Premier League matches, and this one started the same way, with control, pressure and enough attacking quality to put Brighton on the ropes early.

Cole Palmer was central to that spell, while the crowd mood turned quickly once the third goal went in. The problem for Chelsea was the same one that has followed them for years, because a comfortable lead never quite stayed comfortable for long.

Brighton kept coming, and the late goal from Gross gave the final scoreline a messy edge. Even so, the home side still walked away with Chelsea vs Brighton and two wins from their first two league games.

Alonso's selection calls

The other story around Stamford Bridge was selection. Enzo Fernández was left out of Chelsea’s matchday squad again, while Robert Sánchez was not in the squad against Brighton.

Alonso has been direct about the standard he wants. “We assess what's best for the team and considering everything, the situation, we need a team that is focused, with everyone involved that's fully committed and engaged with the game,” he said to standard.co.uk. He also added that “It was a decision we thought was good for the team, for the club.”

That lines up with the rest of the afternoon, because Moisés Caicedo came off the bench and was then forced off through injury. Chelsea were lively, but Alonso is already having to manage a squad with moving parts.

The mood around the manager is still positive. The football is noisy, attacking and a bit chaotic, and Stamford Bridge was singing his name while the game was still alive. The next league match will tell us more about how stable it really is, but Chelsea have already put seven goals on the board and opened with two wins.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →