Chelsea 4 – 2 Brighton

by Amar Azam

IN AMONG the chaos of what was a frenetic, error-strewn first half from these two teams, a superb Cole Palmer shone, scoring all four of his side’s goals in a formidable display of attacking prowess and clinical finishing.

In so doing, he became the Premier League’s first player to have scored four goals in the opening half of a match.

The young Chelsea forward continues to demonstrate why he is one of the league’s hottest players, with his performance drawing comparisons with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Robin Van Persie.

It wasn’t always pretty from Chelsea against an off-colour Brighton side. However, despite an uncertain display marred by defensive mishaps, including a pair of errors from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, Chelsea’s steady start to the season continues under boss Enzo Maresca with yet another victory.  

The Chelsea boss was pleased to have seen his side register their first home Premier League win, heaping praise on Palmer for his maturity.

“He’s a special player, a simple guy, a humble guy. He doesn’t need to tell people how good he is because you can see it clearly,” he said.

“Today with young people, young boys, they change very easily and the best thing for me is that he enjoys it, he loves football, and is always the same way. It’s something fantastic for him.”

In what was a breathless start to the match, Fabian Hurzeler’s men began confidently with Georginio Rutter putting Brighton into an early lead. Chelsea responded through Palmer, who scored three goals in a lightning 10 minutes, including a stunning free-kick on 31 minutes to complete his hat trick.

Carlos Baleba hit-back moments later as Brighton looked to peg back their hosts. However, Palmer added a fourth on 41 minutes.

Hurzeler’s insistence on playing a high defensive line, however, contributed to the self-inflicted difficulties that Brighton endured, leading to their first defeat of the season. The German manager defended his decision-making.

“Every time we made a mistake Cole Palmer punished it,” said the Brighton head coach. “We have to be honest to ourselves — we didn’t deserve to win.”

Chelsea had finished the second half two goals ahead after that extraordinary first 45 minutes, but rarely did they look like they were in control of their opponents.

However, the players pressed home their advantage in the second half, and with Brighton’s attacking threat fading, it was left to the Blues’ forward line to attempt to add more.

A host of chances fell to Nicolas Jackson, but the Chelsea striker was unable to convert any of them, and in the end, the three points were secured easily.