3-0 up in 32 minutes, 4-3 at the death: Chelsea can't defend a lead

Xabi Alonso has now won both his games as Chelsea manager. He has also, across those same two games, watched his team concede five goals and turn a comfortable afternoon into a stress test twice over. On Saturday his side were 3-0 up on Brighton inside 32 minutes, and still needed a Cole Palmer thunderbolt to avoid the most Chelsea collapse imaginable. Two wins from two, and somehow it lands like a warning.

The stat that undercuts the smile

Three-nil after half an hour. Lavia, Pedro Neto and João Pedro had Stamford Bridge purring and Brighton looking like they’d been sent up by mistake. Then Chelsea did the thing Chelsea now do: they held the door open. Pascal Gross scored twice, Brighton clawed it back to 3-2, and for twenty minutes the Bridge was quietly calculating exactly how you throw away a three-goal lead. Palmer’s stunner from the edge of the box made it 4-2 and settled it; Gross’s late header for 4-3 was just the receipt. Two games, two wins, five goals conceded: you don’t need a calculator to spot the flaw in the machine.

What you won’t get on the teamsheet

Two bits of theatre. First, João Pedro, booed all afternoon by the Brighton fans who used to sing his name, answered by tormenting them into silence; Sky’s Alan Smith reckoned he’s “in the form of his life,” which is a generous way of saying he loved every second of those boos. Second, Alonso’s post-match review, delivered with the serenity of a man who had absolutely not just watched his back four audition for a horror film: “It was good to finish with the win, but many things happened.” Many things did happen, Xabi. Most of them to your defence.

Two games, two wins, five goals shipped: Alonso’s Chelsea have mastered everything except the last twenty minutes.

Next stop: the Emirates, which is no place to leak goals

The fixture gods, ever comedians, hand Chelsea a trip to Arsenal next. Defend like this at the Emirates and 4-3 will look like a clean sheet. For all the summer’s spending, a team this dangerous going forward should not need a Palmer special to see off Brighton after going 3-0 up. Alonso will pocket the six points and the two wins, and lie awake over the twenty minutes in the middle where his side keep forgetting how to defend.

Chelsea are winning. Chelsea are also, twice a week now, doing everything in their considerable power not to. Enjoy it while Palmer’s on fire: the back four are clearly playing a different, much scarier sport.