Cole Palmer strike secures 4-3 win for Chelsea over Brighton at Stamford Bridge

Cole Palmer scored what proved to be the decisive goal as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge on 30 August 2026, in a match in which Joao Pedro scored for both sides.

Chelsea raced into a 3-0 lead through Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro, before Brighton pulled back to 3-2 with a Malick Yalcouye volley and an own goal by Joao Pedro; Palmer then made it 4-2 and Pascal Gross headed a 96th-minute consolation after a dangerous long throw-in was not dealt with. Joao Pedro therefore registered a goal for each team during the contest.

Emiliano Martinez, the new signing, was given an 8 after claiming two early crosses and making saves from Malick Yalcouye and Charalampos Kostoulas, though Yalcouye did beat him with a well-struck volley; he was tested again as Brighton pushed for an equaliser in the second half. Wesley Fofana was rated 7 for forward driving and drawing Brighton players out of position, while Maxence Lacroix, described as the new signing from Crystal Palace, earned a 6 for confident possession but an occasionally ragged defensive display. Levi Colwill was also a 6, with the report noting he looked comfortable on the ball but was caught out of position at times in new manager Xabi Alonso's system.

Pedro Neto was given a 7 after tapping in Chelsea's second and setting up a chance for Joao Pedro, though the appraisal blamed him for over-committing to a challenge in the build-up to Brighton's first goal. Malo Gusto received a 6 for a quiet performance played out of position in midfield but for delivering some good corners. Romeo Lavia was rated 7 after tapping in his first Chelsea goal after four minutes, and Jorrel Hato, also 7, provided a wonderful assist on the counter-attack while operating at wing-back. Cole Palmer earned an 8 for a wonderful curling effort in the 75th minute and for his pressing despite missing an earlier chance; Joao Pedro was also rated 8 for a clever flick for Chelsea's opening goal and for scoring the Blues' third. Morgan Rogers was given a 7 for powerful running that set up Neto for the second and for forcing another chance that Palmer missed.

Chelsea substitutes were Josh Acheampong (on 68 for Fofana) 6, Reece James (on 68 for Neto) 7, Moises Caicedo (on 68 for Lavia) 6 — "His afternoon was cut short after just 11 minutes as he left the pitch in tears." — Pep Chavarria (on 72 for Colwill) 6 and Valentin Barco (on 82 for Caicedo) 6; unused Chelsea substitutes were Penders, Gittens, Estevao Willian and Welbeck.

For Brighton, Bart Verbruggen was rated 5 after struggling when coming out to claim the ball for Chelsea's opening goal but making several good saves later. Olivier Boscagli, Lewis Dunk and Luka Vuskovic each received a 5, while Ferdi Kadioglu was also a 5 for struggling to cope with Chelsea's right. Pascal Gross earned a 7 for delivering the cross that created Yalcouye's first opportunity and for scoring the late header; Mats Wieffer was given a 5 after failing to deal with an early corner that led to the opener. Maxim de Cuyper was rated 5, Malick Yalcouye 7 for an energetic display capped by a first-time volley, Diego Gomez 5 as Brighton's most dangerous attacker who missed several chances, and Charalampos Kostoulas 6. Brighton substitutes were Ibrahim Osman (on 74 for Yalcouye) 6, Costinha (on 80 for Wieffer) 6 and Promise David (on 80 for Kostoulas) 6; unused Brighton subs were Steele, Struijk, Hadjam, Cozier-Duberry, O'Riley and Oriola.

After the opportunity to rate players had closed, the scores shown represent the average from all submissions by BBC Sport users.

The result leaves Chelsea with a perfect start to the campaign, having maintained their unbeaten run with this 4-3 victory over Brighton.