With 14 goals in our first three games this season, it's fair to say life under Alonso has been exciting so far.

Chelsea raced to a 3-0 lead against Brighton at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of goals from Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro.

Brighton reduced the deficit to 3-2 before a moment of pure class from the rejuvenated Cole Palmer meant the Seagulls' 90+6-minute header was a mere consolation.

Here we take a look at how the game was won...

Possession isn't always king

It is often said, 'Possession is king' when the importance of dominating the ball in modern football comes up in conversation. On Saturday, Chelsea proved that isn't always the case.

Our 4-3 victory over Brighton saw the Blues have just 26 per cent possession across the 90 minutes, with our 225 passes attempted and 152 passes completed Chelsea's lowest figures since Opta records began during the 2003/24 season.

But this wasn't a case where the Blues were under the kosh throughout or where the stats were skewed based on a second-half onslaught; our possession was at 30 per cent at half-time when we enjoyed a 3-1 lead.

This was a calculated game plan from new manager Xabi Alonso, and it worked.

The 'xG race' graphic below shows how each team's cumulative expected goals (xG) total builds throughout a match. The chart tracks the quality of chances created over time, rather than just the actual scoreline, with a steep rise highlighting a high-quality chance.

The graphic highlights how the Blues were good value for their 3-0 lead because of the quality of chances they created. These were not pot-shots from distance which fortuitously came off; all three finishes came within ten yards of the Brighton goal.

Alonso decided he would allow Brighton to have more of the ball and would then look to utilise our counter-attacking threat and the outstanding quality of our front three in the final third.

When Sky Sports revealed the Blues had enjoyed less than a third of possession during the first half, it would have come as a shock to many because the hosts had clearly been the better team and had carried the greater threat.

Alonso acknowledged post-match that after a 'brilliant first half an hour', his team 'played too much with the result in mind' and were too deep at times but understandably highlighted they are still in a process of improvement, with this just his third competitive game in charge of the Blues.

But across the whole 90 minutes, Chelsea were good value for the win and the tactical plan paid off.

Going direct

Chelsea's directness was clear from the off and was backed up by the statistics post-match.

The Blues utilised the forward passing ability of their deeper players, the speed of their wing-backs and the power and pace of Joao Pedro up top to great effect as we regularly got up the field quickly.

The fact Emi Martinez made the second-highest 'completed passes in the opposition third', just one behind Morgan Rogers and level with Joao Pedro, shows just how much the Blues looked to go from back to front with speed.

Based on Opta data, new goalkeeper Martinez only made one short pass from his 38 passes, meaning 97.4 per cent of his deliveries were considered 'long passes'. Only Mark Schwarzer against Liverpool in 2014 has a higher percentage (100 per cent from 31) for Chelsea since Opta started collecting data in 2003/04. Petr Cech was the other to go above 97 per cent on three occasions.

This wasn't a goalkeeper just hitting and hoping, though; Martinez was regularly picking out the runs of players like Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto. Martinez passing to Joao Pedro was the most used combination between any Chelsea players, with eight.

And, according to Opta, Martinez became just the second Chelsea goalkeeper to create two or more clear chances in a Premier League game since they started collecting data, with Robert Sanchez also providing two against the same opposition last season. Only Wayne Hennessy has ever created more, with three for Burnley against Manchester United in December 2021.

Flying wingers

The decision to go direct would have been influenced by the fact Alonso had the option of playing one of the fastest players in the Premier League in Pedro Neto - he recorded the eighth quickest time for the whole of the 2025/26 campaign at 22.6 miles per hour. And Jorrel Hato has already shown this season he is no slouch either.

Despite lining up as wing-backs in the static formation graphic, and often being deep in our half when defending against Brighton attacks, Neto was often one of our most advanced players and Hato, although seen as a defender by trade, was a real attacking threat, too.

It was Neto's cross from the byline which won the corner that ultimately led to Romeo Lavia's opening goal - a set-piece he also delivered.

The Portugal international then ran from close to 30 yards out to get on the end of Morgan Rogers' cross for the second goal, and probably would have scored the third, had Joao Pedro not got to the ball first.

That third goal was indicative of the two wing-backs' attacking threat throughout the game. They were both inside the Chelsea penalty area when Hato started the move. The Netherlands international then ran almost the length of the pitch before sliding the ball into the box. Neto had matched Hato stride for stride on the opposite side of the pitch and was there ready to collect the pass, had Joao Pedro not controlled and finished expertly.

With Marco Palestra - the player judged to be the quickest in the Serie A last season - still to return from injury, one suspects this won't be the last time we see Chelsea wing-backs' pace posing a counter-attacking threat this season.

Joao Pedro at it again

Joao Pedro appears to be getting better and better every week.

The forward made an immediate impact at Chelsea, finishing the season with 20 goals in all competitions and claiming the club's Player of the Season Award.

But with the creative talents of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers behind him, the Brazilian appears to have gone up another level.

On Saturday, Joao scored one and set up another. In truth, he probably should have scored twice, as he uncharacteristically shot wide from inside the penalty area.

But it isn't just the goal contributions that make him special. It is his all-round play. It's the game-high figure of 13 duels that he won, it's the work rate he showed out of possession, it's every part of his game.

Chelsea have a special forward on their hands and fans will be excited to see the level he can reach over the coming years.