LONDON — Stamford Bridge will get its first look at the Xabi Alonso era in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as Chelsea host Brighton & Hove Albion looking to make it two wins from two under their new head coach and end a miserable recent run against the Seagulls.
Alonso, 44, was appointed on a four-year deal on May 17, officially taking charge on July 1 as Chelsea's fifth permanent manager under the BlueCo ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. He arrived after an ill-fated eight-month spell at Real Madrid which ended by mutual consent in January following reports of a loss of control in the dressing room, a stark contrast to his historic unbeaten Bundesliga title triumph with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24.
He replaced Liam Rosenior, who was dismissed in April after less than four months in charge of a Chelsea side that would eventually finish tenth and miss out on European football entirely after losing the FA Cup final 2-1 to Manchester City at Wembley.
The Spaniard could not have asked for a more chaotic start. His reign began last Sunday with a 3-2 win away at Fulham at Craven Cottage, a game that had everything. Joao Pedro needed just 31 seconds to open the scoring — officially the fastest goal ever scored on the opening weekend of a Premier League season — before Fulham twice levelled through youngster Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia.
A debut goal from Morgan Rogers, signed from Aston Villa for £42m, and a late winner from Cole Palmer, back after a minor groin complaint in pre-season, ultimately sealed three points in a game that saw Chelsea have 18 shots and concede two from just three on target.
Chelsea backed that up on Wednesday night with a more controlled 2-0 win over Luton Town in the second round of the EFL Cup. In a story few would have predicted in June, 35-year-old Danny Welbeck marked his Chelsea debut with a 50th-minute header after arriving from Brighton for an undisclosed fee last week, before Hakeem Odoffin's own goal wrapped up progression to the third round.
The signing of Welbeck, Chelsea's oldest outfield signing since Thiago Silva, was seen as a deliberate shift in policy. After three years of focusing almost exclusively on players under 25, Alonso and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart wanted proven Premier League experience to guide a squad whose average age last season was the youngest in the division.
Brighton Flying Under Hürzeler
Fabian Hürzeler's Brighton arrive in west London in equally confident mood, and with every reason to believe they can spoil Alonso's homecoming.
The Seagulls opened their Premier League campaign with a ruthless 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Aston Villa at the Amex, scoring all four goals inside the opening 31 minutes. A Victor Lindelöf own goal set them on their way before Maxim De Cuyper and a double from Jack Hinshelwood put the game beyond Unai Emery's side, who saw Joao Gomes sent off after a VAR review for serious foul play.
In Europe, Brighton overcame a tricky tie against Norwegian side Tromsø IL. After a 0-0 draw in the Arctic Circle in the first leg of their Conference League play-off, they produced a professional 4-0 win in the second leg on Thursday night, with Greek striker Charalampos Kostoulas opening his account alongside goals from De Cuyper, Mats Wieffer and Olivier Boscagli to secure a place in the league phase.
That European depth will be needed. Brighton are still without a host of attackers.
Chelsea have won 16 of the 27 meetings between the two clubs in all competitions, Brighton six, with five drawn. However, Brighton have won each of their last four meetings in all competitions.
Two sides that know how to find the back of the net will meet at Stamford Bridge, and given their current form, this promises to be an entertaining contest.
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