Chelsea score four vs. Brighton in entertaining win

JUST IN: Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 in a thriller on Xabi Alonso's home debut, with Cole Palmer sealing the win to continue their perfect start to the season.

Seven goals at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea took four of them.

Xabi Alonso's home debut ended 4-3 against Brighton, and honestly, both managers aged a decade. Chelsea were three up inside the half hour, Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto, João Pedro, and you can see the celebrations here, all electricity, all swagger. Then the wheels wobbled. Malick Yalcouyé smashed one past Emiliano Martínez on the keeper's debut, João Pedro turned one into his own net, and suddenly it was a one-goal game on the hour.

So Chelsea did what they always do when it gets nervy. They gave it to Cole Palmer, who bulldozed through midfield and lashed in the fourth, sending Alonso sprinting down the touchline. Even then, Pascal Gross nodded in a free header deep in stoppage time.

Perfect start, yes. But a defence this generous will hand somebody a beating eventually, and title challenges don't survive on Palmer alone.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.