Player Ratings: Chelsea stars shine in 4-3 win over Brighton

Player Ratings: Chelsea stars shine in 4-3 win over Brighton Chelsea 4-3 Brighton: Palmer and João Pedro Settle Wild Premier League Shootout Chelsea won 4-3 at Stamford Bridge and, for long stretches, made it look straightforward. Then they did what good attacking sides often do when they stop being ruthless without the ball, they made life hard for themselves. The start was sharp, aggressive and full of purpose. Chelsea overloaded early areas, moved Brighton around and scored inside three minutes when Roméo Lavia finished from close range against his former club. It was the kind of opening that tells you one side is switched on and the other is still organising itself. Brighton tried to respond, but Chelsea kept finding space. Morgan Rogers supplied Pedro Neto for the second, and by the time João Pedro added a third after the half-hour, the game seemed effectively done. Chelsea Attack Clicks Early That was the best of Chelsea, direct, clean and clinical. Neto carried threat, Lavia dictated the tempo and João Pedro was involved in everything. Cole Palmer, meanwhile, drifted in and out before delivering when it mattered most. Brighton did not fold. Malick Yalcouyé pulled one back three minutes after Chelsea’s third, smashing in off the post past debutant Emiliano Martínez. It gave the visitors a pulse, and Chelsea helped them further when João Pedro turned Pascal Groß’s effort into his own net. Brighton Fightback Falls Short At 3-2, the game had changed. Brighton had belief, Chelsea had nerves. This is where control matters, and Chelsea briefly lost it. Still, good players usually find one decisive action. João Pedro, having hurt his side with the own goal, redeemed himself by setting up Palmer in the 74th minute. Palmer finished calmly to restore the two-goal margin. Even then, it was not over. Groß scored in stoppage time and Chelsea spent the final moments doing the basics, clearing lines, managing space and waiting for the whistle. Photo: IMAGO Player Ratings Chelsea: Emiliano Martínez 6/10, Malo Gusto 7/10, Wesley Fofana 6/10, Maxence Lacroix 6/10, Levi Colwill 6/10, Jorrel Hato 6/10, Roméo Lavia 8/10, Cole Palmer 8/10, Pedro Neto 8/10, Morgan Rogers 7/10, João Pedro 8/10. Subs: Reece James 6/10, Josh Acheampong 6/10, Moisés Caicedo 6/10, Pep Chavarría 6/10, Valentín Barco 6/10. Brighton: Bart Verbruggen 6/10, Ferdi Kadıoğlu 7/10, Luka Vušković 6/10, Lewis Dunk 6/10, Olivier Boscagli 6/10, Mats Wieffer 6/10, Pascal Groß 8/10, Diego Gómez 6/10, Malick Yalcouyé 8/10, Maxim De Cuyper 6/10, Charalampos Kostoulas 6/10. Subs: Ibrahim Osman 6/10, Promise David 6/10, Joao Costinha 6/10. Managers: Xabi Alonso 7/10, Fabian Hürzeler 6/10.