Chelsea’s 17 Shots Deliver a 4-3 Win Over Brighton

Chelsea defeated Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, securing the winner’s points after leading 3-1 at half-time. The match produced seven goals despite Brighton controlling much of the possession, with Chelsea making the greater attacking efficiency count.

Chelsea strike early and build a lead

Chelsea needed only four minutes to move ahead, with R. Lavia scoring a normal goal. P. Neto doubled the advantage in the 14th minute, assisted by Morgan Rogers, before João Pedro added a third for the hosts in the 32nd minute after a pass from J. Hato.

Brighton responded quickly. M. Yalcouye scored in the 35th minute to reduce the deficit to two goals before half-time, leaving Chelsea with a 3-1 lead at the interval. The visitors then applied more pressure after the restart, and the match turned again in the 63rd minute when João Pedro was recorded with an own goal for Brighton, making it 3-2.

Palmer restores Chelsea’s cushion

Chelsea regained a two-goal advantage in the 74th minute. C. Palmer scored with an assist from João Pedro, putting the hosts 4-2 ahead and giving them vital breathing room during a period when Brighton had enjoyed long spells of possession.

Brighton continued to threaten and P. Gross scored in the 90th minute, but Chelsea held on to complete the 4-3 victory. The visitors finished with 74% possession and 620 total passes compared with Chelsea’s 26% and 214 passes. Brighton also had more corners, 7-4, but Chelsea registered more total shots, 17-14, and more shots on target, 6-5. Chelsea’s expected-goals figure was 2.97, compared with Brighton’s 1.47, underlining the hosts’ more productive finishing.

Discipline and key contributions

Chelsea’s W. Fofana was booked in the 55th minute, while Brighton received three yellow cards: L. Dunk in the 70th minute, O. Boscagli in the 89th and Costinha in the 90th. Chelsea made a series of changes around the final stages, including R. James, J. Acheampong, M. Caicedo and P. Chavarria, while Brighton introduced I. Osman and P. David.

Emiliano Martínez was the standout performer by rating, earning 8.5 after making four saves and supplying two key passes. Neto also received an 8.5 rating for his goal, two shots on target and two key passes, while Rogers rated 8.3 after providing an assist and four key passes.

The result leaves Chelsea eighth in the listed Premier League standings with three points from one game, while Brighton are fifth with three points from one game. Both teams had entered the match on a win, but Chelsea now take the result from a seven-goal contest.