Chelsea defeated Brighton & Hove Albion in a pulsating 4-2 victory; Cole Palmer had entered the record books as the first player ever to score four goals in a first half of a single match. The win finally ended Brighton’s unbeaten start to this season and moved the Blues up to third in the league.
A crazy first half saw Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s early mistake let Georginio Rutter head Brighton in front, but within minutes, Chelsea were on top as Palmer equalized after Adam Webster’s defensive mistake. The Blues went ahead when Jadon Sancho won a penalty, coolly slotted home by Palmer – his 10th Premier League penalty for Chelsea.
The hat-trick was completed when Palmer stroked in a fabulous long-range free-kick, with Brighton pulling a goal back as Sanchez’s misplaced pass enabled Carlos Baleba to fire home. That, however, did not last as Palmer sent Chelsea into the break with a two-goal cushion once more after Brighton’s defense had once again presented another gift.
Still, Chelsea dominated in the second half, even with just 36% possession. Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella had chances to seal the advantage further, but one was flagged for offside and another through last-ditch defending. Palmer was close to making it a fifth as he narrowly missed twice.
Chelsea easily saw out the game, lifting themselves within a point of league leaders Manchester City. Brighton’s unbeaten run is brought to a close as they drop to eighth, where they continue to struggle on the road with just two wins in their last 16 away matches.
