It was a fitting way to mark Alonso's first Premier League home fixture at Stamford Bridge – and the Blues' performance certainly entertained those in the stands.

We went ahead inside four minutes when Romeo Lavia prodded home from close range following a corner. Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro then struck to put Alonso's side in a commanding position just after the half-hour mark.

Yet Brighton hit back, first through Malick Yalcouye and then via a Joao Pedro own goal. However, after regaining our composure, Cole Palmer expertly guided home a fourth goal to seal the points, despite Pascal Gross scoring late on for the Seagulls.

Alonso enjoyed the manner of our victory, although he accepted there are aspects of his side's performance that must be improved.

What the Blues manager had universal praise for was the backing from the Chelsea faithful before and during the 90 minutes.

‘It felt great,' he reflected after the Blues' 4-3 victory. 'I’m very happy to come to the Bridge and feel this energy and support. There will be great games, there will be difficult moments, but we need to stick together.’

It was highlighted in Alonso's post-match press conference that the Blues had come away victorious despite having significantly less of the ball than Brighton. When asked if that was by design, the Blues manager reiterated that the demands on his players will adapt to each game.

He explained: ‘You need to have context for the data. For sure, after 30 mins when we scored to make it 3-0, probably in that moment we have played too much with the result [in mind] instead of keeping on playing.

'So, it’s about how we play and what we can do better. I never say we need 60 per cent or 20 per cent possession. It’s about how we prepare and how we can be more competitive.

'You have to adapt, even during games, and there are different moments and there are some moments we’ve done really well and others we can do better.’